8. Barbara Rose Johns led a student strike in 1954, a landmark event in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that ‘separate but equal’ public schools – that is, schools where pupils of different colors were kept apart – were unconstitutional. This was a landmark moment in the Civil Rights movement and a major victory for campaigners for equality. And few activists played a greater role than that played by Barbara Rose John Powell. She was just a teenager when she joined the struggle and 16 when she led a student strike for equal education at her Virginia school. Not for nothing is she cited as one of the bravest and most notable figures in the whole history of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Johns was born in New York City in 1935. Her uncle was Vernon Johns, a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He inspired his young niece to study black history and through him she developed a passion for equality. So when Johns realized that her all-black school in Farmville, Prince Edward County, had fewer resources than the whites-only school in the same town, she was determined to take action. In April 1951, she led a strike, having convinced her fellow students to join her in her affirmative action. The strike got the attention of the NAACP and the organization agreed to make it part of their wider struggle for full integration.
Led by Johns, the students filed the Davis v. Prince Edward County case, which would form part of a bigger case brought before the Supreme Court. Since this was the only case in the larger initiative that was started by a student, many regard it as the starting point of the Civil Rights Movement that would grow and grow during the 1950s and 1960s. As such, Johns, as a true pioneer, making an invaluable contribution to the movement for equality at the age of just 16.
Her accomplishment is even more remarkable given the risks she took. For leading the student revolt, Johns was subjected to abuse by the KKK, with a burning cross erected outside her family home. Johns moved to Montgomery, Alabama, married and raised a family. She worked as a school librarian right up until her death in 1991.
