Robert Russa Moton Museum facts for kids
| Location | 900 Griffin Boulevard in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia |
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Robert Russa Moton High School
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| Location | Jct. of S. Main St. and Griffin Blvd., Farmville, Virginia |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1939 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001177 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 24, 1995 |
| Designated NHL | August 5, 1998 |
The Robert Russa Moton Museum is a special place in Farmville, Virginia. It used to be the Robert Russa Moton High School. This school is famous because it played a big part in the Civil Rights Movement in America.
Students at Moton High School went on strike to protest unfair conditions. This led to the important 1954 Brown v. Board of Education court case. That case helped end segregation in public schools. The building became a National Historic Landmark in 1998. Today, it is a museum that teaches visitors about this important history. The museum and school are named after Robert Russa Moton, an African-American educator.
The old Moton School building is made of brick and was built in 1939. It was built because African-American communities and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) fought for better schools. The building had six classrooms and an office around a main auditorium. It did not have a cafeteria or restrooms for teachers. It was built for 180 students, but by the 1940s, it had to hold 450 students. The county, which had an all-white board, refused to give money to expand the school. So, they built temporary buildings covered with roofing material, which students called "tar-paper shacks."
Contents
The Fight for Equal Schools
| Robert Russa Moton High School | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Public, segregated |
| Opened | 1939 |
| Closed | 1954 |
| Enrollment | 180 (1939) 450 (1940s) |
| Last updated: December 31, 2017 | |
Robert Russa Moton High School was a public high school for African-American students. It was in Farmville, Virginia, and was built in 1939. The Council of Colored Women, led by Martha E. Forrester, helped make this happen.
Student Strike for Change
In 1951, a brave group of students, led by 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns, walked out of school. They were protesting the poor conditions at their school. The NAACP got involved after the students decided they wanted an integrated school, not just better conditions at their segregated school.
Lawyers Spottswood Robinson and Oliver Hill filed a lawsuit on May 23, 1951. This case was called Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. A state court said no to the lawsuit. They agreed with the defense lawyer that Virginia was trying to make black and white schools equal.
The Brown v. Board of Education Case
The students' case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. It became part of the famous Brown v. Board of Education case. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" schools were not fair. They ordered public schools to integrate, meaning students of all races should go to school together.
In 1953–54, the county built a new high school for African-American students. This was part of their argument that they were trying to improve conditions. The old Moton building then became an elementary school.
Massive Resistance and School Closures
The fight to integrate schools in Prince Edward County was one of the longest in the country. The county refused to fund any public schools rather than integrate them. This was part of a statewide effort called Massive Resistance. Because of this, there were no public schools in the county for five years, from 1959 to 1964.
During this time, the Prince Edward School Foundation created private schools for white children. These schools received money from the state and tax credits from the county. Prince Edward Academy was one of these schools, often called segregation academies.
Many families and students had to move away or stop their education. Some went to school with relatives outside the county. Others attended "training centers" and "grassroots schools" held in African-American churches and community halls. Some students were sent to live with host families across the state and country. These families were found by local NAACP leaders and other groups.
Reopening Schools
In 1963–64, the Kennedy Administration supported the Prince Edward Free Schools. These schools opened in four county school buildings. Finally, in 1964, the Supreme Court made another ruling in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. This decision ordered Prince Edward County Public Schools to reopen with full integration.
The Moton Museum Today
Today, the Moton School building reminds everyone of the struggle for civil rights in education. A 1994 report praised Prince Edward County for successfully and peacefully integrating its schools.
The museum has exhibits with items from Moton High School. It also shows artifacts from the Civil Rights Movement. You can hear stories from former teachers and students. They share their experiences of the student walkout and the school closings. Guides are available to give tours of the museum. In 2013, the Moton Museum finished a big renovation. It opened its first permanent exhibit, called "The Moton School Story: Children of Courage."
The museum is also a center for studying civil rights in education. It offers programs to explore the history of school desegregation. It also helps promote discussions about community relations. The museum is an important stop on the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail. This trail has 41 sites across southern Virginia that show how educational opportunities grew.
The building was used as an elementary school until 1993. When the school finally closed, the Martha E. Forrester Council of Women worked to save it. They wanted it to be a memorial to the fight for civil rights in education. In 1998, the R. R. Moton School was named a National Historic Landmark.
See also
