Statue commission recommends Civil Rights icon Barbara Johns to replace Lee statue in US Capitol

A Virginia civil rights icon has received recommendations from a historical statue commission to replace the statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee in the US Capitol Building.

A panel of eight members on Wednesday voted to recommend Barbara Johns to represent the state in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Johns led a walkout at her Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, VA in 1951 to protest the overcrowding and inferior conditions her all black school was dealing with compared to the all white nearby Farmville High School, helping to spark lawsuits that resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling that would desegregate schools.

The recommendation also comes with $500,000 set aside in Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed budget to replace Lee’s statue in the US Capitol, which is set to be removed in the coming days.

The Commission for Historical Statues in the US Capitol was established by Northam, which unanimously voted to remove the Confederate General’s statue in July.

Photo Courtesy: Robert Russa Moton Museum Website