Congressional Black Caucus Statement Celebrating Barbara Rose Johns Statue

Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09)and members of the Congressional Black Caucusissued the following statement:

"For 111 years, the Commonwealth of Virginia was represented in the U.S. Capitol by Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who took up arms against the United States to preserve the brutal institution of slavery. Today, the Commonwealth, and the nation, is celebrating a new chapter in our history by honoring Barbara Rose Johns-a courageous young leader whose fight for educational equity helped pave the way for a more equitable nation.

"At just 16 years old, Barbara Rose Johns organized hundreds of students to walk out of Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville to protest its substandard facilities compared to the neighboring white high school. Her movement ultimately gained the support of the NAACP and became part of the historic Brown v. Board of Education case, which led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared school segregation unconstitutional.

"The Congressional Black Caucus, led by the Dean of the Virginia State delegation and CBC member, Congressman Bobby Scott, was honored to celebrate the unveiling of Barbara Rose Johns' statue - not just as Black history - but as American history. We must continue to honor our nation's heroes and their contributions that made our country a more perfect union and that too often go unrecognized, unheard and overlooked."