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Museum Director Desegregation and the Robert Russa Moton High School Story

In 1951, students at the Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia walked out of school to initiate a strike demanding better school facilities. Led by 16-year-old Barbara Johns, the Moton Student Strike would produce three-fourths of the plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and would be the only student-led initiated case of the five that comprised Brown v. Board. The Moton school story is also vital in the Supreme Court case of Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, which intervened to reopen schools in the county. The R.R. Moton High School, located in Prince Edward County, had been closed for five years (1959-1964) alongside other schools as the county closed down schools rather than desegregate after the Brown v. Board decision. Today, the R.R. Moton High School is a National Historic Landmark and a museum. In this interview, we hear from the director, Cameron Patterson, about the history of the museum and school.

Watch on the NAHOF youtube channel.

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