Farmville in Prince Edward County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
R. R. Moton High School
Farmville, Virginia
— Prince Edward County —
On this site of the former R.R. Moton High School, the actions of some brave African-American students to achieve equal educational opportunities for blacks eventually led to the end of legal segregation in American public schools.
Moton High School was built to house 180 black students. On April 23, 1951, it held 450 instead, with some classes conducted in “tar-paper shacks,” resulting in a student walkout protesting the unequal facilities, course offerings and buses. Within weeks the students sought legal redress of their grievances. The NAACP agreed to support a suit for school integration, believing that goal to be in the best interest of the community. The subsequent case, Davis et al. v. County School Board of Prince Edward, was decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1954 in its landmark Brown v. Board decision, which stated that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.” A second Brown decision in 1955 mandated that integration be achieved “with all deliberate speed.”
Rather than integrate its public schools, Prince Edward County withheld funds for all public education. As a result, all of the county’s public schools were closed from 1959 until 1964, when the Supreme Court ruled in Griffin v. Prince Edward that localities must fund and operate public schools.
Today, Prince Edward’s fully integrated public schools bear the legacy of a fight for civil rights in education that began here with a courageous, non-violent act by a group of high school students and resulted in three historic United States Supreme Court rulings. In 1998 the site was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2001 it formally opened as a museum.
Erected by Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail®. (Marker Number 24.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1796.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 37° 17.475′ N, 78° 23.854′ W. Marker was in Farmville, Virginia, in Prince Edward County. Marker could be reached from the intersection of Griffin Boulevard and Barrow Street. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 900 Griffin Boulevard, Farmville VA 23901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Oliver White Hill Sr. (a few steps from this marker); Barbara Rose Johns (within shouting distance of this marker); R.R. Moton High School (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Russa Moton High School (within shouting distance of this marker); 1951 Student Walk-Out (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Russa Moton High School Timeline (within shouting distance of this marker); Martha E. Forrester (approx. 0.4 miles away); Longwood College (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Farmville.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced with the linked marker.
Also see . . .
1. Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail. Virginia's Retreat (Submitted on May 31, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
2. The Robert Russa Moton Museum. (Submitted on May 31, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
3. Robert Russa Moton High School (pdf files). National Register of Historic Places (Submitted on May 31, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 25, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,225 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 31, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.