5th District Congressman Introduces Bill to Honor Civil Rights Icon

Press Release

Yesterday 5th District Congressman Tom Garrett introduced legislation designating April 23 as "Barbara Johns Day" to honor the late Civil Rights icon.

Barbara Johns and her African American classmates attended a ramshackle high school in Prince Edward County, Virginia while white students across town in Farmville attended a new state of the art high school. This clear example of separate but not equal inspired Barbara to lead nearly 500 of her classmates in a walkout on On April 23, 1951, thereby highlighting the injustice of separating schools by race. This led to a local lawsuit which was ultimately rolled into the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision that rendered segregated education unconstitutional.

Upon introducing H.Res. 245, Rep. Tom Garrett stated:

"Barbara Johns embodies everything that we value as both Virginians and Americans. Real courage by a 16 year old girl who sought to change a clear injustice is something we should admire and remember. Designation of this day will preserve her legacy and serve as a reminder that we should always strive to stand for what's right, even in the face of adversity."

Garrett submitted similar legislation in the Virginia Senate which was carried to passage by newly-elected State Senator Mark Peake.

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