Barbara Rose Johns Statue Replaces Robert E. Lee in U.S. Capitol: A Symbolic Shift
The U.S. Capitol recently unveiled a statue of Barbara Rose Johns, a significant replacement for the removed statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The ceremony in Emancipation Hall included remarks from prominent political figures, celebrating Johns’ role in leading a student strike for equal education at R.R. Moton High School in Virginia in 1951. This act of defiance eventually contributed to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, which declared “separate but equal” unconstitutional. The new statue, placed in the Crypt, honors Johns’ legacy as a trailblazer and replaces the Confederate figure with a symbol of liberty and justice.
John Q. Hosedrinker