With Good Reason

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In 1951, young Barbara Johns led a student walkout to protest conditions at the segregated Moton High School in Farmville, VA.  Her actions led to a lawsuit, one of a number that eventually helped strike down the doctrine of “separate but equal.”  Lacy Ward, Jr.  (Longwood University) is Director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum. He wants the museum to explore the Civil Rights struggle as a process by which Americans sought to perfect the Union. 

Also featured: After the Revolutionary War, white slave owners in Virginia took pains to see that their houses reflected the ideals of the new republic. Camille Wells (College of William and Mary) says slaves usedthe redesigned spaces to test and protest the terms of their bondage.

Want to dig deeper? Explore Encyclopedia Virginia:

Robert Mussa Moton

Moton School Strikes and Prince Edward County School Closings

Read about the signifigance of the Moton Museum in Virginia Review

Learn more about the homes mentioned in the interview:  Mount Airy or  Elsing Green