In celebration of Johns-Griffin Day, Leslie “Skip” Griffin Jr. will return to First Baptist Church on Sunday at 3 p.m. to give a keynote address.

“This … event celebrates the lives and legacy of Barbara Rose Johns Powell, organizer of the Moton High School student strike in 1951, and the Rev. L. Francis Griffin, minister of Farmville’s First Baptist Church, who led the civil rights movement in Prince Edward and Virginia during the 1950s and 1960s,” Moton officials said in a press release. “The day will begin with a service at Triumph Baptist Church in Darlington Heights at 11 a.m. At 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Skip Griffin will give the keynote address. A light reception will follow both events.”

The younger Griffin and his sisters were plaintiffs in the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court case Griffin vs. Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia, which reopened public schools here after a five-year closure, according to the press release. “Since 2003, Griffin has worked as a senior associate at Dialogos in Boston, Massachusetts as an executive coach for senior leaders, helping them to enable their organizations to create their desired futures. “For 15 years, Griffin was the director of community relations and public affairs at the Boston Globe newspaper. He also served as director of the Boston Globe Foundation. Griffin holds a B.A. in government from Harvard College and a Masters of Education in Organizational and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.”

Organizers said the celebration follows the Virginia General Assembly’s passage of Senate Joint Resolution 340, designating April 23 to be Barbara Johns Day across the commonwealth of Virginia beginning in 2018, as well as the introduction of federal legislation to make April 23 Barbara Johns Day nationwide.”

“Johns-Griffin Day will take place at Triumph Baptist Church, 2756 Darlington Heights Road, Cullen, on Sunday … at 11 a.m., and at First Baptist Church, 100 S. Main Street, Farmville, at 3 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.”