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SPEAKER_01: Hey! Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. Most of the women we talk about on this show did incredible things when they grew up. But today, we're talking about someone who's known for making a profound impact when she was just 16 years old. Her story proves that people can fight for positive change at any age. Let's talk about Barbara Rose Rolle. Let's talk about Barbara Rose Johns. Barbara Rose Johns was born in Harlem in New York City on March 6th, 1935. Her parents, Violet and Robert Johns, moved the family to Prince Edward County in Virginia during World War II. They lived on Barbara's grandmother's farm where her father could work. Growing up in the midst of segregation, Barbara faced stark disparities in education quality. Her small, one-story school building had no gym and no cafeteria, but it was forced to accommodate over 450 students. Uninsulated shacks were built outside to hold additional students, and learning out there was particularly difficult in cold weather. One January in 1940, Prince Edward County had particularly frigid temperatures with readings of 16 degrees below zero. In contrast to Barbara's school, the nearby White School had two stories, great facilities, and fewer than 400 students. Barbara shared her concerns about the conditions of her school with her music teacher, who responded, why don't you do something about it? At first, Barbara felt discouraged. She was just a student. What could she do? But the final straw for Barbara came one April morning. She was helping her four younger siblings get to the bus stop when she realized she forgot her lunch. She ran back home to fetch it. When she returned, she realized she'd missed her bus, and she was forced to try hitchhiking for a ride. She stood on the curb for an hour, and no one stopped to help. Then, she saw the so-called White Bus drive by. It was half empty. Barbara's bus was always packed to the brim. She later wrote in her diary, right then and there, I decided that indeed something had to be done about this inequality. So Barbara sprung into action. On April 23rd, 1951, Barbara forged a note from the school principal to the teachers, telling them to gather all 450 students in the auditorium. When the students sat down, they were shocked to find Barbara on stage. She delivered a speech and shared her plan. All the students would walk out of the school until a new building was under construction. Some students were afraid they'd get in trouble or end up arrested. Barbara replied, the Farmville Jail isn't big enough to hold us. So when Barbara walked out of the building, the other students followed. The strike had begun. This act of civil disobedience preceded other groundbreaking protests, like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Greensboro Lunch Counter sit-ins by several years. Barbara and these students were marching on a new path. After two weeks of the strike, the superintendent started threatening the students' parents. Barbara decided it was time to take legal action so she contacted the nearest NAACP branch office. Though Barbara's initial focus was a new building, the NAACP insisted that pushing for integration was the right move. After they explained their reasoning, Barbara agreed. The NAACP took up the case and their new demand was school integration. The Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors flatly refused to desegregate the schools. In 1959, they defunded public schools that attempted to integrate, a drastic move that continued for five years. This became part of a statewide initiative called the Massive Resistance Movement, a collection of policies designed to prevent integration at almost any cost. As a result, many of the county's schools were forced to close their doors. While many white students could continue attending segregated private schools, black students struggled to find education while the case was still being argued in court. Barbara's case ultimately joined four other court cases that became part of the famous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, which declared school segregation unconstitutional. Barbara's case had the largest group of plaintiffs out of all five, and it was the only one led by students. Brown v. Board of Education was a groundbreaking case that paved the way for better education for black Americans. But the fight was far from over. Because of her involvement in integration, Barbara was threatened by racists. The KKK burned a cross in her schoolyard. Barbara's parents feared for her safety, so they sent her to Montgomery, Alabama to live with her uncle. She would go on to attend Drexel University in Philadelphia, where she earned a degree in library science. She worked as a librarian in the Philadelphia school system and married Reverend William Holland Roland Powell. Together, they had five children and lived the rest of their lives out of the public eye. Barbara Rose Johns passed away from bone cancer in 1991. She was 56 years old. For years, Barbara's incredible contributions to civil rights were overlooked because of her age. But in 2008, a sculpture of Barbara was erected in Richmond, Virginia as part of a civil rights memorial. In 2017, the State Attorney General's Office Building was renamed in her honor. The Farmville Library was dedicated to her. Across the state of Virginia, April 23rd is now Barbara Johns Day. All month, we're going back to school, talking about women who shaped the world of education. For more on why we're doing what we're doing, check out our newsletter, Womanica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, at Womanica. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow. This month of Encyclopedia Womanica is proudly supported by UNC Greensboro. Founded as a women's college in 1891, UNC Greensboro presents She Can, We Can, beyond the women's suffrage centennial. Through performances, films, lectures, and concerts, UNCG examines how the decisions from our past affect us today. Join the experience and learn more at shecanwecan.uncg. .
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SPEAKER_03: It's time for 60 Minutes. New episode airs Sunday, September 24th on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+.
