Barbara Rose Johns

Barbara Rose Johns
Johns in a high school graduation photo (1952)
Born(1935-03-06)March 6, 1935
DiedSeptember 28, 1991(1991-09-28) (aged 56)
Occupation(s)Civil rights activist, librarian
Known forDavis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County
R.R. Moton High School protest
SpouseWilliam Powell
Children5

Barbara Rose Johns Powell (March 6, 1935 – September 28, 1991)[1] was a leader in the American civil rights movement.[2] On April 23, 1951, at the age of 16, Powell led a student strike for equal education opportunities at R.R. Moton High School in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia. After securing NAACP legal support, the Moton students filed Davis v. Prince Edward County, the only student-initiated case consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring "separate but equal" public schools unconstitutional.

  1. ^ "Barbara Rose Johns - Library of Congress". id.loc.gov. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  2. ^ "State building named for student whose civil rights strike led to school changes". WTVR.com. 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-03-01.