Officials, family members unveil Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

The bronze-and-granite sculpture honors a 1951 protest at an all-black Prince Edward high school. RICHMOND - The newest monument on Capitol Square recalls the fight for racial justice and a crusade that began on April 23, 1951. At least that's how history records it. For Roderick Johns, the memory is much more vivid. It starts with a burning cross. That dark chapter of Virginia history seemed to melt away in the blazing sun Monday, as songs and smiles greeted the unveiling of the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial. The four-sided granite block with 18 sculpted figures pays tribute to a struggle that began when 16-year-old Barbara Johns led a walkout to protest deplorable conditions at all-black Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County. The resulting lawsuit came to the U.S. Supreme Court with four others as Brown v.... [read full story]