Program welcoming back member of the Moton High class of ’51 is part of site’s Black History Month commemoration.
In April 1951, frustrated by the deplorable conditions at the segregated R.R. Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, African American students took action. Without their teachers’ permission, student leaders held an assembly outlining to other students their grievances with the school: tar-paper buildings, no heat, and outdated books. The student body agreed and voted to strike. The students spent the next weeks picketing, demanding that the wrongs be righted. Their actions led to a court case, Davis v. Prince Edward County, which became part of the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that banned segregated schools throughout the United States.
This Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 1:00 p.m., Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site will host four members of the 1951 Moton High School student body to share their stories of the conditions at their school, the strike itself, and the aftermath. Their discussion will follow a screening of the film “The Road to Brown,” which documents the story of the brilliant legal campaign that led to the Brown decision.
Following the film, 1951 Moton High School students Edwilda Issac, Joy Cabarrus Speakes, Rev. J. Samuel Williams, and John Stokes will discuss the strike and their participation in it. Stokes served as the student council president and helped organize the strike. The free program will take place at Club 533 at 700 N. 3rd Street in Richmond.
The program is part of a month-long series, “Matinees with Miss Maggie.” The free film series is taking place at 1:00 p.m. every Saturday in February as part of the park’s commemoration of Black History Month. Each week, a different film will be featured, examining the lives of African Americans in Virginia from the Civil War to the modern Civil Rights Movement. More information about the film series is available online at: http://www.nps.gov/mawa/planyourvisit/matinees-with-miss-maggie.htm.
“It is an honor to present this program as part of the National Park Service’s exploration of the ‘Civil War through Civil Rights’ theme for the Civil War Sesquicentennial,” said David Ruth, the park’s superintendent. “The Moton story continues to inspire current generations toward social justice and equality, following the example that Maggie Walker set for us in her time.”
The program is delivered in partnership with the Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville. The Moton Museum & National Civil Rights Landmark honors the courage and sacrifice of Prince Edward County, Virginia students and families, and their leading role in moving America from segregation toward integration. More information about the museum can be found online at: http://www.motonmuseum.org.
Walker’s home, now the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, has been a National Park site since 1978. A national activist for the rights of African Americans and women, Maggie Walker also inspired young people to learn self-discipline, self-help, and selflessness, and groomed young leaders who knew the importance of helping others and their communities. Guided tours of her restored home, located in historic Jackson Ward, are given by National Park rangers. The park visitor center is open Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional information is available at 804-771-2017, or on the web at www.nps.gov/mawa orwww.Facebook.com/MaggieL.WalkerNHS.
