Teen civil rights activist Barbara Rose Johns honored with a statue at the U.S. Capitol

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published December 17, 2025 at 10:57 AM CST

At 16 years old, Barbara Rose Johns led a student walkout in her hometown of Farmville, Virginia, protesting unequal education opportunities for Black students. Her statue, unveiled Tuesday in the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, replaces one of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which was removed in 2020.

Here & Now‘s Indira Lakshmanan speaks with Cainan Townsend, executive director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville, Virginia.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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