Moton Family, We Need Your Help

And we have a feeling someone out there has exactly what we’re looking for.

We are working to preserve an important piece of Moton history: the 1954 R.R. Moton High School graduating class composite, recognized by the Virginia Association of Museums with its 2024 Juried Award.

But preservation is about more than saving an old photograph.

It’s about getting the story right.

These are real people. Real names. Real families. And among the students pictured are young people whose actions helped change American history through the 1951 Moton Student Strike and the legal fight that became part of Brown v. Board of Education.

Our copy has suffered damage, and we need a clearer reference as conservation work continues.

So, Moton family, check the bookshelf. Check that box of family photographs. Call your auntie, your uncle, your grandparents, your former classmates.

Do you have a 1954 Moton yearbook or a copy of the Class of 1954 composite?

You do not have to give it up.

Bring it by the museum. We can scan it, and you can take your treasured copy right back home. If you would like to loan or donate a copy to our collection, we would be grateful for that as well.

And if you don’t have one, you can still help. Tell your family and friends and help us spread the word.

Because somebody knows somebody.

And somewhere, tucked safely away in a family collection, may be the copy that helps us put a clearer face — and the right name — to this history.

Let’s find it.

Have something to share?

Robert Russa Moton Museum
900 Griffin Blvd.
Farmville, VA 23901

Museum Hours: Monday–Saturday, 12–4 PM
Phone: 434-315-8775 x2