February is Black History Month, an annual observance of the achievements and culture of Black Americans. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature Black pioneers in a variety of areas.

Barbara Rose Johns
Credit: Library of Virginia

Can you imagine inspiring all the students in your school? Maybe you already have. You might have inspired them to establish a recycling program. You might have urged students to talk with teachers and administrators about having a more diverse curriculum.

In 1951, at the age of 16, the Black civil rights activist Barbara Johns (1935-1991) inspired all the students in her school. She led a walkout of her segregated high school in protest of poor and unequal school conditions. Segregation is the separation of people by race. Johns’s walkout helped launch the desegregation movement in the United States.

Barbara Rose Johns was born on March 6, 1935, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. During World War II (1939-1945), Johns moved to Prince Edward County, Virginia, to live with her grandmother. Johns attended the segregated Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia. The school’s facilities were inadequate to handle its students. Although the school was constructed to hold about 200 students, more than 400 students attended. Classes were held in school buses and in the auditorium. When parents asked the school board for additional space, several tar-paper shacks were built.

In the 11th grade, after years of frustration, Johns began mobilizing students to protest the poor and unequal school conditions. On April 23, 1951, the students—led by Johns—left the school and did not return for two weeks. The protest attracted the attention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Lawyers from the organization agreed to help the students, as long as the students agreed to sue for an integrated (combined) school, rather than simply improved conditions at the all-Black school. The students agreed, and the suit became known as Dorothy E. Davis et al v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Virginia. It became one of several cases consolidated into the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. In that case, in 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional.

After organizing the walkout, Johns began receiving death threats. So, she moved to Montgomery, Alabama, to live with relatives and finish school. Johns married William Powell in 1954. She became known as Barbara Johns Powell. The couple raised five children. Johns attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, before earning a master’s degree in library science from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1979. She became a librarian in the Philadelphia public school system. Johns died of bone cancer on Sept. 25, 1991.

In 2020, it was announced that a statue of Barbara Johns would be placed in Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol, representing the state of Virginia. It was to replace a statue of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee, which was removed for its association with racism and the legacy of slavery.

Six-year-old Ruby Bridges is escorted by United States deputy marshals at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, in November 1960. The first-grader was the only Black child enrolled in the school, where parents of white students boycotted the court-ordered integration law.
Credit: AP/Wide World

Ruby Bridges (1954-…) is another important figure in the history of integrated schools. She became one of the first Black children to integrate an elementary school in the Deep South region of the United States. In 1960, as a 6-year-old first-grader, she was the only Black student to enter the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. On Nov. 14, 1960, federal marshals escorted Bridges on her first day of school. The child was met by angry mobs. Parents of white students boycotted the court-ordered integration and took their children out of the school.

Bridges was taught by a white teacher named Barbara Henry, and she was the only student in her class for the entire school year. By the time Bridges entered second grade, Frantz Elementary had been successfully integrated. There were no more protests, and Bridges was able to attend the school unescorted.

August 23, 2019

This weekend, August 23 to 25, a somber anniversary is taking place at the Chesapeake Bay city of Hampton, Virginia. It was there, at the town once known as Point Comfort, that African slaves were first brought to England’s American colonies in August 1619. Those first slaves, captured from Portuguese slave traders, were brought to Virginia 400 years ago in the English ship White Lion. Colonial officials traded food and supplies for the “20 and odd” Africans, beginning an ugly legacy of slavery. Slavery did not end in the United States until 1865, and its effects are felt to this day.

A historical marker details the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in English North America at Point Comfort, Virginia, in August 1619. Credit: National Park Service

Commemorative events in Hampton begin today with a ceremony at the Tucker Family Cemetery, where William Tucker, the first child born (in 1624) of those first slaves, is buried. William was the son of Anthony and Isabella, who, like their fellow captives, had been brought from the Kingdom of Ndongo in what is now the southwest African nation of Angola. Tomorrow, a new Commemoration and Visitor Center telling the story of those first slaves will open at Fort Monroe, the historic army fort in Hampton that is now a national monument. There will also be Black Heritage Tours, an educational African Landing Day Program, and a Commemoration Concert at the Hampton Coliseum. Sunday, a gospel music festival will highlight a “Day of Healing,” and the ceremonies will end with the release of butterflies and a nationwide ringing of bells. In addition, the Hampton History Museum is hosting events, and its traveling exhibit “1619: Arrival of the First Africans” is making its way around churches, community groups, libraries, and schools in Virginia.

Slaves were sold at public auctions in the southern United States. Pictures of blacks being sold like merchandise stirred much resentment in the North against slavery. Credit: Detail of The Slave Auction (1862), an oil painting on canvas by Eyre Crowe; Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York City

That first group of captive Africans in Virginia were classed along with indentured servants, because the colony did not yet have rules regarding slavery. Most indentured servants had a contract to work without wages for a master for four to seven years, after which they became free. Blacks brought in as slaves, however, had no right to eventual freedom, and they were sold at auction. Some Africans did gain their freedom, however, settling in the colonies and buying property. But racial prejudice among white colonists forced most free blacks to remain in the lowest levels of colonial society.

The slave population in America increased rapidly during the 1700′s as newly established colonies in the South created a great demand for plantation workers. By 1750, about 200,000 slaves lived mostly in the southern American colonies. The American Revolution (1775-1783) led to the birth of the United States, but all Americans were not yet considered “created equal.” By the early 1800′s, most Northern states had taken steps to end slavery, but more than 700,000 slaves lived in the South, and the numbers continued to increase. By 1860, the South held some 4 million slaves.

Many white Americans grew to feel that slavery was evil and violated the ideals of democracy. Such ideas were particularly widespread in the North, where slavery was less common. However, plantation owners and other supporters of slavery regarded it as natural to the Southern way of life. The North and the South thereby became increasingly divided over slavery. Eventually, the South rebelled against the North, starting the American Civil War (1861-1865). In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the rebellious Southern states, and, in December 1865—after the South had surrendered—the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States officially ended slavery throughout the nation.

Racial prejudice against African Americans did not end there, however, and the decades after the Civil War were a constant struggle for equality. It was not until the civil rights movement of the 1950′s and 1960′s that acts, amendments, and laws formally banned racial discrimination. Racial prejudice persists in much of America, however, and the struggle for fair treatment continues.

July 29, 2019

On July 30, 1619, 400 years ago tomorrow, the House of Burgesses met for the first time in Jamestown, the first capital of the English colony of Virginia. The House of Burgesses was the first representative legislative body in colonial America. Governor Sir George Yeardley called the meeting in the choir of the Jamestown Church. The session included two citizens, or burgesses, from each of the 11 boroughs (subdivisions) of Virginia. They discussed such topics as land ownership, taxes, rules for personal conduct, and relations with the local Powhatan Native Americans. An oppressive heatwave cut short the first session on Aug. 4, 1619, but the House later met with the governor and his council to make laws for the colony. This combined lawmaking group was known as the General Assembly. It continues today as the legislative body of the state of Virginia.

The Virginia statesman Patrick Henry argues before the House of Burgesses in 1765. The House met for the first time 400 years ago on July 30, 1619. Credit: Detail of Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House of Burgesses(1851), an oil painting on canvas by Peter Frederick Rothermel (Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation)

In Virginia, 400th anniversary events will take place at Jamestown—themed “Origins of American Democracy”—and at Williamsburg, where the House of Burgesses was reestablished after the city became the colony’s new capital in 1699. The Williamsburg building that hosted the House of Burgesses still stands, and current members of the General Assembly will convene a special session there tomorrow, July 30. Richmond, the state of Virginia’s capital since 1780, is also hosting events to commemorate the first meeting of the House of Burgesses.

The House of Burgesses in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Credit: © Ritu Manoj Jethani, Shutterstock

The first act of the House of Burgesses was to approve an official great seal for the Virginia colony. The House also claimed the right to act on all tax laws. In 1621, the House received the authority to make all legislation, but the governor and his council had the right of veto. The House conformed to English law and used the same procedure as the English Parliament.

The House of Burgesses was not completely democratic. But it contributed to the development of representative government in colonial America. When it was temporarily dissolved in 1774, its members met in the first revolutionary convention of Virginia. There they elected delegates to the First Continental Congress. Such members of the House of Burgesses as Patrick Henry and George Washington became important figures during the American Revolution (1775-1783).

April 10, 2019

On Sunday night, April 7, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, the Baylor University Lady Bears defeated Notre Dame 82-81 to win the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. Baylor senior guard Chloe Jackson provided the winning margin with a go-ahead lay-up with just 3.9 seconds remaining in the game. Jackson led Baylor with 26 points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player (MOP). It was the third NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) women’s basketball title for Baylor. The Lady Bears previously won in 2005 and 2012. Notre Dame won NCAA titles in 2001 and 2018.

The Baylor Lady Bears–including Most Outstanding Player Chloe Jackson (24)–celebrate their NCAA title at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on April 7, 2019. Credit: © Justin Tafoya, Getty Images

Baylor dominated early, taking a 43-31 lead into halftime. But Notre Dame stormed back, making up the deficit and battling to a 74-74 tie with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter. The evenly-matched teams then battled down the stretch, with Baylor prevailing by a single point. Led by Jackson and senior center Kalani Brown (20 points), the Lady Bears overcame Notre Dame’s scoring tandem of Arike Ogunbowale (31 points) and Marina Mabrey (21 points). In the Final Four semifinals, Notre Dame took out perennial powerhouse Connecticut, and Baylor downed Oregon.

Virginia guard Kyle Guy (5) attempts a shot against Texas Tech defenders during the NCAA men’s title game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 8, 2019. Credit: © Tom Pennington, Getty Images

On Monday night, April 8, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the University of Virginia Cavaliers defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders 85-77 in overtime to win the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Virginia, led by guards De’Andre Hunter (27 points) and Kyle Guy (24 points), carried a tight 3-point lead into halftime and held the advantage for most of the second half. Texas Tech rallied, however, to take a 3-point lead of their own into the game’s final minute. With just 12 seconds on the clock, a Hunter 3-pointer evened the score at 68-68 to send the game into overtime. The Cavaliers pulled away in the extra five minutes, outscoring the Red Raiders 17-9 for the title. Virginia’s Guy took home tournament MOP honors. 

It was the first NCAA championship game for both Virginia and Texas Tech, who knocked out Auburn and Michigan State, respectively, in the Final Four semifinals. Virginia entered the tournament as a number-1 seed, and Texas Tech was a 3 seed. Virginia’s first title was especially sweet following the team’s epic collapse in last year’s NCAA tournament. In 2018, Virginia became the first number-1 seed to lose to a 16 seed—the lowest—when the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers shocked the Cavaliers 74-54.

November 6, 2013

In state and local elections around the United States yesterday, a Republican was re-elected governor of New Jersey and Democrats took the governor’s mansion in Virginia and city hall in New York City.

Moderate conservative Republican Chris Christie was re-elected governor of New Jersey in a landslide. He bested his Democratic challenger, State Senator Barbara Buono, collecting 60.5 percent of the vote, compared with her 38 percent. Christie’s handling of the Hurricane Sandy disaster in 2012 earned him widespread public support. Political analysts noted that the size of Christie’s victory places him at the forefront of possible Republican candidates for president in 2016.

New York City elected a Democrat, Bill de Blasio, as mayor for the first time in 20 years. He won with a resounding 73 percent of the vote, compared with 24 percent for his Republican rival, Joe Lhota. De Blasio, a liberal, promised to address what he referred to as “a tale of two cities,” the growing divide between rich and poor in New York.

In the Virginia governor’s race, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a key ally of Bill and Hillary Clinton, narrowly beat his Republican challenger, socially conservative Ken Cuccinelli, in this pivotal presidential swing state. McAuliffe took a smaller-than-expected 48 percent of the vote, compared with Cuccinelli’s 45.5 percent. Cuccinelli had the support of the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party.

The beleaguered city of Detroit elected its first white mayor, Mike Duggan, since the 1970′s. In the 2010 United States Census, Detroit had a population of 713,777 residents, down from a peak of 1,849,568, in 1950. The state of Michigan took over the city in March 2013, and it subsequently filed for bankruptcy, the only large American city to ever declare itself insolvent.

In an Alabama congressional primary runoff, moderate Republican Bradley Byrne topped his socially conservative opponent, Dean Young, 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent. Analysts characterized the race as a hard-fought victory for the business wing of the highly splintered GOP over the Tea Party wing.

Colorado voters rejected a sweeping school-financing reform measure. The state’s governor, John W. Hickenlooper, had strongly endorsed the measure, promising that it would deliver smaller class sizes, full-day kindergarten, and smarter education spending.

Additional World Book article:

• Tempest in a Tea Party (a special report)

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Virginia shakes the East Coast of the United States. The quake is felt as far north as New Hampshire, as far south as the Carolinas, and as far west as Illinois. In Washington, D.C., government buildings, including the Capitol and White House, are evacuated, filling the streets of the capital with thousands of government workers. Several buildings in New York City are also evacuated, with employees standing in the streets in midtown Manhattan.

The quake, which struck 3 miles (4.9 kilometers) below the surface, occurred in the Central Virginia Seismic Zone. The United States Geological Survey (UGS) describes this region as an area of bedrock that “was assembled as continents collided to form a supercontinent [Pangaea] about 500-300 million years ago, raising the Appalachian Mountains.” Geologists believe the region is riddled with many small, unknown faults.

The last moderate quake in the seismic zone, which had a moment magnitude of 4.8, occurred in 1875. Small earthquakes that cause little or no damage are felt in the zone every one to two years.

Additional World Book articles:

• Earthquakes
• Pangaea