Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

The Virginia Civil Rights Memorial on the grounds of Capitol Square recognizes the 1951 protest lead by student Barbara Johns (1935-1991) against the poor conditions and continued segregation at Robert R. Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia. This action led to the U.S. Supreme Court case Davis v. County of School Board of Prince Edward County.

The monument was designed by Stanley Bleifeld (1924-2001) and features 18 statues of participants in the Civil Rights Movement. The bronze figures are placed on four sides of ta rectangular granite stone block into which are carved quotes. The memorial cost $2.8 million and was privately funded.