As we approach the start of another school year, there are still concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on a third academic year in a row. Will students and their families have anything like a “normal” school experience in 2021-2022? Now try to imagine what it was like for Black children and families in Prince Edward County Virginia as they faced a fifth year of no public education. The photo posted above is from a protest in Farmville, VA in the summer of 1963 where Black students had already missed four years of school. Many of the student protestors were arrested and jailed for trying to get their schools reopened. In 1959 county officials decided to shut down public schools rather than comply with a federal court order to integrate them. Public funds were allocated to form private schools for white children while Black children went without school for five years or had to move away from home to attend schools elsewhere. This was all part of Virginia’s plan of “massive resistance” to integrating public education in response to the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court in May 1954. There were several localities in Virginia that closed schools for a period of time. Prince Edward County holds the infamous distinction of shutting down public education for the longest time. Finally in 1964, the Supreme Court ordered the schools reopened based on their decision in the case of Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County. The Rev. Francis Griffin was the pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmville and a major local civil rights leader (see photos posted below). Take a few minutes to view the video posted below the photos. It provides a glimpse into the larger story of the role of Black leaders of Prince Edward County in the civil rights movement. As we face the significant struggles of another academic year during a pandemic, may we also remember the pain resulting from closing schools to Black children as well as the courage of Black leaders and students who persisted in the struggle for public education and justice for all people.
Rev. Francis Griffin – Pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmville and a Local Civil Rights Leader
First Baptist Church in Farmville, VA