The Moton Story will take prominence statewide in a new way beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year. The Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) for history and social sciences were revised in 2015, and the 2018-19 academic year will be the first year of implementation at the statewide level.
Professional Development
Civil Rights history resources for educators includes professional development activities. Each summer the Moton Museum hosts professional development opportunities for teachers. Check here for summer dates, coming soon.
Additional Learning Resources
A treasury of online primary and secondary learning resources pertaining to the Moton School and the Civil Rights movement.
Book & Magazine Resources
They Closed Their Schools by Bob Smith
This book tells the 13-year civil rights history of Prince Edward County between 1951-1964. It is broken into three sections: Strike, Massive Resistance, and The Schools. This is the source that tells the most holistic version of the story. (Can be purchased through the museum)
Girl from the Tar Paper School by Teri Kanefield
This book describes the life of Barbara Johns and the student walkout of 1951. It also discusses topics in the periphery of the Moton School Story. Ideal for middle school age students and above.
Bound for Freedom An Educator’s Adventures’s in Prince Edward County, Virginia by Neil Sullivan
(Can be purchased online or through the museum)
Dr. Neil Sullivan organized the Prince Edward County Free Schools in 1963 in response to the PECPS closure. Dr. Sullivan shares his recollections of the time period and goes in-depth about the 1963-1964 Prince Edward County Free Schools year.
A little child shall lead them Edited by Brian J. Daugherity and Brian Grogan
(Can be purchased online or through the museum)
A documentary account of the struggle for school desegregation in Prince Edward County, Virginia. This text is a compilation of primary source documents, pictures, and study questions.
The Moton Museum – Longwood University Magazine Project
The magazine project is a collaboration between the Moton Museum and Longwood University. Each magazine has several stories from those who were locked out of schools between 1959 and 1964. (FREE and available upon request in limited quantities or digitally below)
Interview Resources – available upon request
If you wish we can arrange interviews with individuals who were a part of the student walkout of 1951 or students locked out of schools between 1959 and 1964 please contact education@motonmuseum.org to make your request.
Website Resources
Encyclopedia Virginia – Moton Student Strike & Prince Edward County School Closings
New York Times – Overlooked Series (Barbara Johns Obituary)
Virginia Humanities – AfroVirginia
Library of Virginia – Brown v. Board of Education
National Archives – Educator Resources – Davis v. Prince Edward County
Library of Congress – Using Primary Resources
Other Resources
Robert R. Moton High School and Prince Edward High School
Class Photographs 1951-1958, 1968, 1969, and 1973