Capitol District in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 9, 2009

1. Virginia Civil Rights Memorial Marker

Inscription. On April 23, 1951, 16-year-old Barbara Johns and several fellow students led a strike to protest the deplorable conditions at their racially segregated Prince Edward County school. The Rev. L. Francis Griffin united parents in support of the strike and encouraged the students to contact NAACP attorneys Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson. The lawsuit that followed was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court and joined with four other cases as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), in which the Court ruled that racially separate educational systems are inherently unequal and unconstitutional.

This memorial is dedicated to these Virginians and countless others who courageously fought for the principles upon which the nation and this Commonwealth were founded.

Erected 2008 by Capitol Square Civil Rights Memorial Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1906.

Location. 37° 32.341′ N, 77° 25.96′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in the Capitol District. Marker can be reached from North 11th Street near Capitol Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Richmond VA 23219, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within walking distance of this marker. John Tyler (a few steps from this marker); Virginia’s Executive Mansion (within shouting distance of this marker); Hunter Holmes McGuire, M.D. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Executive Mansion of Virginia (within shouting distance of this marker); Richmond, Virginia Bicentennial (within shouting distance of this marker); Capitol Cornerstone (within shouting distance of this marker); Thomas J. Jackson, General CSA (within shouting distance of this marker); Loving v. Virginia (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Also see . . . Robert Russa Moton Museum. Site of the R.R. Moton High School walkout in 1951, considered the beginning of the modern Civil Rights movement. (Submitted on December 9, 2009.)

Virginia Civil Rights Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 9, 2009

2. Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 9, 2009

3. Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

"It seemed like reaching for the moon." Barbara Johns

Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 9, 2009

4. Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 9, 2009

5. Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

“The legal system can force open doors and sometimes even knock down walls, but it cannot build bridges. That job belongs to you and me." Thurgood Marshall

The Rev. L. Francis Griffin image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 9, 2009

6. The Rev. L. Francis Griffin

Civil Rights Memorial at the Virginia State Capitol image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 9, 2009

7. Civil Rights Memorial at the Virginia State Capitol

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,727 times since then and 86 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on December 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.