A 16-year-old student who organized a massive strike at Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia, challenging segregation and laying groundwork for the eventual Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Barbara Johns (1935–1991) attended the racially segregated Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia. In April 1951, at age 16, she led over 400 students in a strike demanding equal educational facilities. The strike resulted in the students filing a lawsuit, Davis v. County School Board, which was one of the five cases combined into Brown v. Board of Education. Johns later became a librarian and remained committed to civil rights throughout her life[3].
