Virginia Civil Rights Memorial
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| 37°32′19.7″N 77°26′1″W / 37.538806°N 77.43361°W | |
| Location | Virginia State Capitol |
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The Virginia Civil Rights Memorial is a monument in
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East side of the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial -
West side of the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial -
North side of the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial -
South side of the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial
Background
R. R. Moton High School, an all-black high school in Farmville, Virginia, founded in 1923, suffered from terrible conditions due to underfunding. The school did not have a gymnasium, cafeteria or teachers' restrooms. Teachers and students did not have desks or blackboards, and due to overcrowding, some students had to take classes in an immobilized, decrepit school bus parked outside the main school building. The school's requests for additional funds were denied by the all-white school board.[1]
In response, on April 23, 1951, a 16-year-old student named Barbara Rose Johns covertly organized a student general strike. She forged notes to teachers telling them to bring their students to the auditorium for a special announcement. When the school's students showed up, Johns took the stage and persuaded the school to strike to protest poor school conditions. Over 450 walked out and marched to the homes of members of the school board, who refused to see them. Thus began a two-week protest.[4]
The protest led to a court case where
Construction
Statues
Eighteen statues are positioned around the monument. Not every statue depicts a specific person, with statues representing both students and adults. Among those depicted include:
- Barbara Rose Johns
- Spottswood William Robinson III
- Oliver Hill
- Leslie Francis Griffin
Quotes
Two quotes are engraved on the granite on each of the long sides of the monument:
- "It seemed like reaching for the moon." — Barbara Rose Johns
- "The legal system can force open doors and sometimes even knock down walls, but it cannot build bridges. That job belongs to you and me." — Thurgood Marshall[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "The History of Jim Crow". Archived from the original on March 1, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
- ^ a b c Sluss, Michael (July 22, 2008). "'Living memorial' unveiled at state capitol". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ "Artist Stanley Bleifeld". Virginia Civil Rights Memorial. 2007. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ "Farmville, Virginia — Separate is Not Equal". Separate is Not Equal Brown v. Board of Education. Smithsonian National Museum of American History Behring Center. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
- ^ "Remembering Barbara Johns". Hampden Sydney College News & Events. Hampden Sydney College. Archived from the original on August 27, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2007.
- ^ "House Joint Resolution No. 790". Virginia General Assembly. December 1, 2005. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ Sluss, Michael (February 20, 2008). "Kaine helps break ground for civil rights memorial". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ Waugh, Dionne (July 22, 2008). "Remembering Barbara's Stand". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ "Courage enshrined". The Free Lance Star. July 27, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
External links
Media related to Virginia Civil Rights Memorial at Wikimedia Commons- Memorial homepage
- Smithsonian Art Institute Catalog
