Robert Russa Moton Museum

Robert Russa Moton Museum The student birthplace of America's Civil Rights Revolution. A National Historic Landmark. Farmville, Virginia's former R.R. schools.

Moton High School, now a National Historic Landmark, is a civil rights training ground, rooted in Prince Edward County's 1951-1964, Constitution-inspired fight for student freedom. Dreamed by 16-year-old Barbara Johns, the 1951 Moton Student Strike produced three-fourths of the plaintiffs in 'Brown v. Board of Education' (1954), the landmark Supreme Court decision desegregating U.S. From 1959 to 1

964 Prince Edward County closed their public schools to avoid integration. The Supreme Court in 'Griffin v. Prince Edward' (1964) ordered schools to reopen, declaring "the time for mere 'deliberate speed' has run out." "If..you are looking for the handful of places where this nation's civil rights revolution began, check out the old Moton High School in Farmville, Va." -- The Toledo Blade

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

𝗠𝗔π—₯π—ž 𝗬𝗒𝗨π—₯ π—–π—”π—Ÿπ—˜π—‘π——π—”π—₯ | 𝗠𝗒𝗧𝗒𝗑 π—–π—’π— π— π—¨π—‘π—œπ—§π—¬ 𝗣π—₯π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ 𝗕π—₯π—˜π—”π—žπ—™π—”π—¦π—§ β˜€οΈSeptember is almost here, and so are those early fall mornings a...
08/25/2026

𝗠𝗔π—₯π—ž 𝗬𝗒𝗨π—₯ π—–π—”π—Ÿπ—˜π—‘π——π—”π—₯ | 𝗠𝗒𝗧𝗒𝗑 π—–π—’π— π— π—¨π—‘π—œπ—§π—¬ 𝗣π—₯π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ 𝗕π—₯π—˜π—”π—žπ—™π—”π—¦π—§ β˜€οΈ

September is almost here, and so are those early fall mornings around the table at Moton.

Meet us Tuesday, September 1, at 7:30 a.m. for the Moton Community Prayer Breakfast β€” One of Moton’s longest-running programs and a tradition that continues to bring our community together for prayer, reflection, fellowship and a good breakfast.

This month’s breakfast will be prepared by our friends at Grateful Fed Catering and is FREE and open to the public.

πŸ“ Moton Museum | 900 Griffin Blvd., Farmville
⏰ 7:30–8:30 a.m.

We are grateful to Centra Southside Community Hospital for sponsoring our fall Community Prayer Breakfast series.

And while you have your calendar out, save our next two dates:

πŸ‚ π—§π—¨π—˜π—¦π——π—”π—¬, π—’π—–π—§π—’π—•π—˜π—₯ 𝟲
🍁 π—§π—¨π—˜π—¦π——π—”π—¬, π—‘π—’π—©π—˜π— π—•π—˜π—₯ 𝟯

We’ll see you around the table!

𝗠𝗔π—₯π—ž 𝗬𝗒𝗨π—₯ π—–π—”π—Ÿπ—˜π—‘π——π—”π—₯ | 𝗠𝗒𝗧𝗒𝗑 π—–π—’π— π— π—¨π—‘π—œπ—§π—¬ 𝗣π—₯π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ 𝗕π—₯π—˜π—”π—žπ—™π—”π—¦π—§ β˜€οΈSeptember is almost here, and so are those early fall mornings a...
08/25/2026

𝗠𝗔π—₯π—ž 𝗬𝗒𝗨π—₯ π—–π—”π—Ÿπ—˜π—‘π——π—”π—₯ | 𝗠𝗒𝗧𝗒𝗑 π—–π—’π— π— π—¨π—‘π—œπ—§π—¬ 𝗣π—₯π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ 𝗕π—₯π—˜π—”π—žπ—™π—”π—¦π—§ β˜€οΈ

September is almost here, and so are those early fall mornings around the table at Moton.

Meet us Tuesday, September 1, at 7:30 a.m. for the Moton Community Prayer Breakfast β€” Moton’s longest-running program and a tradition that continues to bring our community together for prayer, reflection, fellowship and a good breakfast.

This month’s breakfast will be prepared by our friends at Grateful Fed Catering and is FREE and open to the public.

πŸ“ Moton Museum | 900 Griffin Blvd., Farmville
⏰ 7:30–8:30 a.m.

We are grateful to Centra Southside Community Hospital for sponsoring our fall Community Prayer Breakfast series.

And while you have your calendar out, save our next two dates:

πŸ‚ π—§π—¨π—˜π—¦π——π—”π—¬, π—’π—–π—§π—’π—•π—˜π—₯ 𝟲
🍁 π—§π—¨π—˜π—¦π——π—”π—¬, π—‘π—’π—©π—˜π— π—•π—˜π—₯ 𝟯

We’ll see you around the table!

β€œWe were children, but we knew it wasn’t right. We stood up not just for ourselves, but for the generations who would co...
08/25/2026

β€œWe were children, but we knew it wasn’t right. We stood up not just for ourselves, but for the generations who would come after us.”
β€” Joy Cabarrus Speakes, reflecting on the 1951 Moton student strike

The students who walked out of Moton in 1951 could not have known just how far their courage would travel. Their stand became part of Brown v. Board of Education and helped change the course of public education in America.

Today, we are among the generations they stood up for.

We honor their sacrifice by remembering their names, learning the fuller story, protecting the history they made, and making sure young people everywhere understand what students from Prince Edward County helped accomplish for a nation.

Learn their names. Share their story. Bring a young person to Moton. And help carry this history into the next generation.

That is how remembrance becomes responsibility.

π—¦π—’π—¨π—§π—›π—˜π—₯𝗑 π—•π—Ÿπ—”π—–π—ž π—šπ—œπ—₯π—Ÿπ—¦ 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗧 π—§π—›π—˜ π—–π—”π—£π—œπ—§π—’π—Ÿ πŸ›οΈβœ¨Team Moton is headed to the Virginia State Capitol!Join us Friday, August 21,...
08/20/2026

π—¦π—’π—¨π—§π—›π—˜π—₯𝗑 π—•π—Ÿπ—”π—–π—ž π—šπ—œπ—₯π—Ÿπ—¦ 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗧 π—§π—›π—˜ π—–π—”π—£π—œπ—§π—’π—Ÿ πŸ›οΈβœ¨

Team Moton is headed to the Virginia State Capitol!

Join us Friday, August 21, for Southern Black Girls Day at the Capitol, part of the Joy & Justice Tour presented by the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium.

It’s a FREE day of music, food, fun and community β€” and Team Moton will be there! πŸ’œ

Come find our table right by the Barbara Rose Johns figure within the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial. We’d love to see you!

πŸ“ Virginia State Capitol | Richmond
πŸ—“οΈ Friday, August 21
⏰ 10:30 AM
🎟️ FREE

Learn more & register:
www.southernblackgirls.org/joytour

A sweet surprise right on time! πŸͺπŸ’•Shout-out to Jennifer Giordano Kinne and our Letterpress Communications pals for dro...
08/20/2026

A sweet surprise right on time! πŸͺπŸ’•

Shout-out to Jennifer Giordano Kinne and our Letterpress Communications pals for dropping off these delicious treats. You certainly know how to brighten an afternoon!

Much appreciated from all of us at Moton β€” and yes, we’ve already started digging in! πŸ˜‹πŸ˜‚

Some words simply stick with you.β€œNever feel helpless…Never feel like there’s nothing you can do…With the right vision a...
08/20/2026

Some words simply stick with you.

β€œNever feel helpless…Never feel like there’s nothing you can do…With the right vision and the right kind of organization, amazing things can happen.”
β€” Dr. Oliver W. Hill Jr., paraphrasing his father

Dr. Oliver W. Hill Jr., paraphrasing his father, offered a reminder that sits right at the heart of the Moton story: vision mattersβ€”but so does what happens next.

Students planned. A community rallied. Attorneys took up their case. What began in Prince Edward County became part of a national movement that changed public education in America.

Now we want to hear from you:

Which part of this quote speaks to you mostβ€”vision, organization, or the reminder not to feel helpless? Why?

Drop your answer in the comments. πŸ‘‡πŸΎ And if the Moton story is new to you, come experience where it happened.

πŸ“ Plan your visit: https://motonmuseum.org/visit/

πŸŽ’ WELCOME BACK, EDUCATORS!The 2026–2027 school year is underway, and Moton is ready to welcome you and your students.Our...
08/19/2026

πŸŽ’ WELCOME BACK, EDUCATORS!

The 2026–2027 school year is underway, and Moton is ready to welcome you and your students.

Our K–12 programming has been updated to align with Virginia’s 2023 History and Social Science Standards of Learning (SOLs), with experiences designed for students from elementary through high school.

Bring your students to the place where 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns and her fellow students organized the April 23, 1951 student strike to protest unequal school conditions. Their actions led to Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, one of five cases decided together in Brown v. Board of Education.

Experience Moton through an on-site visit, an off-site program at your school, or a virtual session.

Educators can also explore primary and secondary sources, classroom materials, and other resources to support instruction throughout the year.

Best of all? Moton educational programs are offered at no cost.

πŸ“š Find your grade level, explore our educator resources, and start planning your Moton experience:

πŸ”— https://motonmuseum.org/welcome-back-educators-2026-2027-learning-at-moton/

#π‘Άπ’π‘»π’‰π’Šπ’”π‘«π’‚π’š, πŸπŸŽπŸ” 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 π‘¨π’ˆπ’On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, establishing that the right to vote could...
08/18/2026

#π‘Άπ’π‘»π’‰π’Šπ’”π‘«π’‚π’š, πŸπŸŽπŸ” 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 π‘¨π’ˆπ’

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, establishing that the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of s*x.

The victory followed generations of organizing, lobbying, marching and protest by women determined to have a voice at the ballot box.

But for many Black women, particularly in the South, the right written into the Constitution was still difficultβ€”and sometimes impossibleβ€”to exercise. Poll taxes, literacy tests and other discriminatory practices continued to keep Black citizens from the polls.

The law continued to change.

In 1964, the 24th Amendment prohibited poll taxes in federal elections. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 targeted racial discrimination in voting and suspended literacy tests in jurisdictions where they had been used to restrict access to the ballot. And in 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state poll taxes in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections.

So the story that began long before 1920 continued long after it.

Today, that history comes with something very practical: know when and how you can vote.

Virginia’s next general election is November 3. Early in-person voting begins September 18, and the deadline to register or update your voter registration is October 23.

Check your registration. Know your dates. Be ready.

π—₯π—˜π— π—˜π— π—•π—˜π—₯π—œπ—‘π—š π—₯π—œπ—–π—›π—”π—₯𝗗 β€œπ——π—œπ—–π—žπ—œπ—˜β€ π— π—’π—¦π—¦πŸŒΏMoton Museum is saddened by the passing of Richard β€œDickie” Moss, a longtime friend of...
08/18/2026

π—₯π—˜π— π—˜π— π—•π—˜π—₯π—œπ—‘π—š π—₯π—œπ—–π—›π—”π—₯𝗗 β€œπ——π—œπ—–π—žπ—œπ—˜β€ π— π—’π—¦π—¦πŸŒΏ

Moton Museum is saddened by the passing of Richard β€œDickie” Moss, a longtime friend of the museum and an important part of the Prince Edward County story we preserve and share.

The son of Dr. C.G. Gordon Moss, a longtime Longwood College history professor who publicly advocated for the reopening of Prince Edward County’s public schools during the 1959–1964 school closings, Dickie became part of that history himself.

In 1963, at 17 years old, he attended the integrated Prince Edward Free Schools for his senior year, served as class treasurer and became the only white member of the 23-student graduating class of 1964. Their commencement was held in the auditorium of the former Robert Russa Moton High Schoolβ€”the building that is now home to Moton Museum.

He later devoted much of his life to education, including 28 years teaching American history at C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia, South Carolina. His connection to Moton and Longwood continued over the years, including sharing his memories in 2018 for Stories from Prince Edward County, 1951–1968.

For us, Dickie was more than part of the historical record. He was an educator, a storyteller and a longtime friend of Moton who generously shared his memories so that others could better understand this history.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Catherine; his children, Laura and Tristan; his sister, Virginia β€œGinny” Moss George; and the entire Moss family.

We are grateful for the life he lived, the history he helped preserve and the friendship he shared with Moton.

At this time, no funeral or Celebration of Life arrangements have been announced. We will share additional information as it becomes available.

πŸ”— For those who would like to know more about Dickie’s life and hear more of his story, we invite you to explore these two reflections:

*All Eyes on Prince Edward County* β€” Richard Moss, pages 20–23
https://issuu.com/greenwoodlibrary/docs/all_eyes_on_prince_edward_county_split

Richard Moss ObituaryπŸ•Š
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/columbia-sc/richard-moss-12953386

Address

900 Griffin Boulevard
Farmville, VA
23901

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 4pm
Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Wednesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm
Friday 12pm - 4pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

(434) 315-8775

Website

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