Statue of Youth Civil Rights Advocate Barbara Rose Johns Revealed at U.S. Capitol
In 1951, a 16-year-old African American girl named Barbara Rose Johns stood up against segregation. The conditions at her high school were vastly inferior to those at the white high school in Farmville, Virginia. To protest this inequality, she orchestrated a student walkout that would become a pivotal moment in the American Civil Rights Movement. In recognition of her contributions, the U.S. Capitol has revealed a statue in her honor.
This statue is included in the National Statuary Hall Collection, which consists of 100 statues representing the 50 states; two for each state, situated around the Capitol Visitor Center, the Hall of Columns, and the Crypt. Johns’ statue has replaced a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that was taken down in 2020. She now stands alongside George Washington as one of two figures symbolizing the state of Virginia.
“We are here to acknowledge one of America’s true pioneers, a woman who encapsulated the spirit of the nation in her quest for freedom, justice, and equal rights under the law, the indefatigable Barbara Rose Johns,” stated House Speaker Mike Johnson during the unveiling ceremony, which was attended by congressional members, Virginia officials, and Johns’ family members.
The 11-foot statue was crafted by Maryland artist Steven Weitzman. The piece depicts Johns at a podium, holding a book aloft as she calls upon her peers to take action. The statue rests on a pedestal inscribed with the phrase: “Are we going to just accept these conditions, or are we going to take action?”
Johns’ struggle for equality at Robert Russa Moton High School proved to be crucial. With the backing of the NAACP, the students initiated Davis v. Prince Edward County. Over time, the case evolved into one of the five cases, and the only student-led suit, that the U.S. Supreme Court considered in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 decision that ruled school segregation unconstitutional.
Sources: [Statue of teen civil rights icon Barbara Rose Johns replaces Robert E Lee at US Capitol](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/17/civil-rights-barbara-rose-johns-statue-unveil)
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