Barbara Rose Johns Statue Unveiled in U.S. Capitol

Congressional leaders on Tuesday unveiled a new statue of civil rights icon Barbara Rose Johns, replacing the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in the U.S. Capitol.

"Today, we are here to honor one of America's true trailblazers — a woman who embodied the essence of the American spirit in her fight for liberty and justice and equal treatment under the law, the indomitable Barbara Rose Johns," Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said.

In 1951, Ms. Johns was just 16 years old when she organized a student walkout to protest her school's inferior facilities compared with those of the town's white high school.

Her fight against segregation eventually became one of the cases considered in Brown v. Board of Education, leading to the landmark Supreme Court ruling that declared school segregation unconstitutional.

Family members of Ms. Johns, who died in 1991, were on hand to witness the unveiling ceremony in Emancipation Hall.

Full video here:

Download the FREE C-SPAN Now App.

Discover the C-SPAN Video Library at

Explore C-SPAN's Free Educational Resources at

C-SPAN: Created by Cable in 1979. Offered as a public service.

Support C-SPAN by Donating Today:

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:

Follow us:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:

Subscribe:
C-SPAN Podcasts:
Newsletters:
Visit the C-SPAN Shop:
#cspan

By: C-SPAN
Title: Barbara Rose Johns Statue Unveiled in U.S. Capitol
Sourced From: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oru1LgtVM3o

Output QR Code