The Robert Russa Moton Museum held a celebration Tuesday in honor of Barbara Rose Johns and her legacy in Civil Rights.

Johns, who was born April 23, 1935, took action to promote equity for Robert Russa Moton High School at 16 years old by leading a student walk-out. The walk-out, which occurred in 1951, later led to Johns and her classmates being at the center of the only student-led case within Brown v. Board of Education, called Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. 

Barbara Johns Day, celebrated April 23, is a holiday in the Commonwealth of Virginia, being first established in 2018.

During the Tuesday event, participants enjoyed food, discussion, guided tours of the Moton Museum and activities related to Johns. Pictured are, from left, She’Toneya Fortune, Aliyah Johnson, Mickie Carrington, Selina Johnson and Tam’ara King.