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The Forgotten Teens
Black History Isn't Just for Adults By Tamekia Reece
While the reasoning behind the dismissal of Colvin's case is understandable (people were concerned with how her illegitimate pregnancy would reflect on the African-American community), that's not so in the cases of other teens who are barely mentioned.
No matter what your race, it's very likely you know a little something about Brown vs. Board of Education, the Supreme Court case that ended segregated schooling. You probably can even name a few people who were involved. Are any of the names that pop into your mind those of someone who was 17 or younger? Probably not. While there were more than 117 students involved in the launch of the case, most people only credit adults, like Thurgood Marshall, for the role they played.
Maybe the most-deserving party in the case was not Marshall, but Barbara Johns, a 16-year-old junior at Moton High School in Farmville, Va. In 1951, after constantly comparing Moton to the white schools and watching as parents and other activists tried to obtain funding for a better black school while making no progress, Johns decided it would be up to her and her fellow classmates to do something about it.
On April 23, 1951, Johns took over her school by having someone tell the rincipal that two of the students were at the downtown bus station being arrested. After the principal left the building, Johns sent notices with the principal's forged signature to all classes arranging a student assembly. Once the students arrived, Johns had her friends escort the teachers and other staff from the building. Together, the students agreed to form a strike and refuse to return to school until they got the funding that was needed to repair and rebuild it.
After being contacted by Johns for help, the NAACP suggested to her that they file a lawsuit to get not just a school that was simply comparable to those the white students attended, but an integrated school where both black and white kids could go. Johns and her peers agreed it was a good idea, and shortly thereafter, their case, along with five others, formed what would become known as Brown vs. Board of Education. For whatever reason, Johns receives little credit for organizing the student strike that kicked open the door to the end of segregated schools, while her adult counterparts continue to be praised for their roles.