Miles Today: 450
Total miles: 450
We started our trip by visiting the Robert R. Moton Museum in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Students there, led by 16 year old Barbara Johns, went on strike in 1951 to protest conditions at their poorly funded Black high school in comparison to the local white school. Prince Edward County would become one of the five court cases to make up the 1954 Brown decision, which declared "separate but equal" facilities to be inherently unequal. From 1959-1964, Prince Edward County public schools closed rather than implement court-ordered integration of public schools. We met with a local professor and 2 activists from the 1950s and 1960s while there. We were pleased to learn that since our last visit, the museum has not only received status as a National Historic Landmark (the highest status granted to a historical site by the federal goverment) but it has also received an infusion of corporate funding which will allow it to fully develop its commemoration of the school and its exhibits.
On another note, we're thrilled to be driving the NEW university van.
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