“The Commonwealth of Virginia will now be properly represented by an actual patriot who embodied the principle of liberty and justice for all, and not a traitor who took up arms against the United States to preserve the brutal institution of chattel slavery,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries standing on stage at the U.S. Capitol on December 16.
The line earned applause and Leader Jeffries was cheered loudly before saying a word as he approached the stage. The event: A dedication of the Barbara Rose Johns statue in the U.S. Capitol. Johns will replace a statue of Robert E. Lee as one of two statues that represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol. The Lee statue was removed from the Crypt on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol in 2020.
In a Capitol Building that still has statues in honor of Jefferson Davis, Barbara Rose Johns will be on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol in the same position the statue of Lee formerly occupied. The Johns statue now joins Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune and Rosa Parks as one of four Black women honored in the U.S. Capitol in statue form.
Statue of Robert E. Lee being removed from the U.S. Capitol in December 2020. Photo: Jack Mayer/Office of Governor Northam
The official dedication and unveiling event featured over 200 members of the Johns family including her two brothers Ernest Johns and Roderick Johns, and sister Joan Johns Cobbs. Over 800 witnessed the unveiling which made the event one of the most well attended unveiling events at the U.S. Capitol.
Under federal law, each state is represented by two statues in National Statuary Hall. The statues are selected by the state to honor notable individuals from that state’s history. In 2018, the Johns statue was recommended by Virginia’s Commission for Historical Statues to replace Virginia’s statue of Robert E. Lee in the U.S. Capitol.
“On April 23, 1951, a 16-year-old Barbara Johns led a walkout of students at the Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, to protest school segregation and the discriminatory education conditions of Black students. Her courage forced this country to reckon with its conscience on a scale much larger than she ever could have imagined,” said Sen. Mark Warner at the December 16 dedication ceremony.
“I’m proud to unveil Barbara Johns’ statue in the U.S. Capitol where she will represent the Commonwealth of Virginia and be recognized for the vital role she played in ending school segregation,” he added.
“At the age of 16, Barbara Johns’ refused to accept inequality in our public schools. Her determination led to the lawsuit Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, which ultimately became part of the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Her strength and unwavering belief in equality and justice helped change the entire nation for the better. It is hard to think of a better example of a Virginian to represent the Commonwealth in the United States Capitol,” said Rep. Bobby Scott during the ceremony.
Sen. Warner and Rep. Scott are both cosponsors of the Confederate Monument Removal Act. That legislation is focused on the removal of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.
Sen. Warner has spoken publicly about the need to remove public symbols honoring the Confederacy as part of broader efforts to advance racial justice.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke.
