U.S. Capitol Unveils Barbara Rose Johns Statue, Replacing Confederate General Robert E. Lee
Civil Rights activist Barbara Rose Johns is honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol, replacing Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Her 1951 student strike was crucial to the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Washington ExaminerBarbara Rose Johns statue to go up on Capitol Hill in place of former Robert E. Lee statue
PBS NewsHourWATCH LIVE: Johnson and Jeffries lead unveiling civil rights activist Barbara Rose Johns statue
Boston HeraldUS Capitol statue of teen civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns to fill Robert E. Lee’s place
Overview
The U.S. Capitol is unveiling a statue of Civil Rights activist Barbara Rose Johns in Emancipation Hall, replacing the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which represented Virginia for 111 years.
The Lee statue was removed in December 2020 following a state commission's recommendation and a request from former Governor Ralph Northam, amid national scrutiny over Confederate monuments.
In 1951, a 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns led a student strike for equal education at R. R. Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, challenging segregation in public schools.
Her student-led lawsuit became a pivotal case in the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, directly contributing to the landmark ruling that overturned racial segregation.
The new statue, depicting Johns with a tattered book, now represents Virginia in the National Statuary Hall Collection, commemorating her profound impact on the Civil Rights movement.
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