Thanks for writing in and sharing Ms. John’s legacy and linking it to the work of Oliver Hill and the other people included in this program. You are absolutely right that those students’ acts of resistance were the foundation for change that continues to impact lives today. There are so many strains to civil rights in Virginia that we chose to focus in on the chance to hear from Oliver Hill’s son in this episode. To hear more about Barbara John’s leadership in the Moton School walkout, I encourage you to listen to a show we produced just a few weeks ago called “The Making of a Civil Rights Museum,” which can be heard here: http://www.withgoodreasonradio.org/2009/06/the-making-of-a-civil-rights-museum/

I’d like to comment, however, on what was left out — and what is so often left out in the discussion of this memorial: the vital importance of Barbara Johns and the other students of Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, whose courage to stand up against their second-class status led to the “Davis v. the School Board of Prince Edward County” lawsuit that was included in “Brown v. Board of Education.”

(See this Smithonsian Institution web page discussing the Moton High students’ role:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/4-five/farmville-virginia-1.html)

Statues of Barbara Johns and other students are an integral part of the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial. So why are these Farmville students so often ignored, when stories are written or broadcast about this memorial? If it hadn’t been for their action, the attorneys would’ve had no lawsuit to take to the US Supreme Court. It’s not at all hard to find Farmville residents who can talk about their experiences, as many are still living in Farmville and are well-known.

Just thought I’d ask.