Hello Everyone!
Kristen here – and I’m honored to pen the final blog post for our Social Studies class. During yesterday’s walk to see archival content, the weather was gorgeous, warm and breezy with a hazy watercolor sky. Blooming trees and tulips reminded me of Easter Sunday, which is coming up this next weekend. The promise of summer is in the air. The weather had me thinking about students in Prince Edward County, and how their school strike took place on Monday, April 23, 1951, almost exactly 74 years ago.
Reading Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and Me, a memoir by John A. Stokes, really colored the world of Jim Crow laws in rural Virginia, and created context for the student boycott at Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, VA. I’ll be honest – even though I had learned about Brown vs. Board many times, I didn’t understand the nuance of all of the five different cases that were part of the suit. If only a few things had gone differently, Robert Russa Moton High School may not have been part of this historical landmark ruling that ordered the desegregation of schools. In 1951, John Stokes was a teenager who lived on a farm and farmed with his ox, Ned. John was a boy scout and a hard worker, respected by his classmates and neighbors. Seeing the world through John’s eyes helped me understand what was at stake for him and for his classmates. Running water, central heat, and indoor plumbing – these basic utilities were missing from most black schools in rural Virginia in 1951. Planning, organization, and careful thought went into the strike, and students used the Manhattan Project as their inspiration for the layers of secrecy. Despite trying channels of diplomacy and outreach with community leaders, the students were turned down, and realized that the courts were their best option to improve the quality of their schools. Supporters of the strike paid a heavy price, with jobs lost and repercussions in town for parents depending on local businesses. Schools closed for 6 years in Prince Edward County, resulting in The Lost Generation– but Brown vs. Board enabled a better education outcome for all students, and a start to de-segregating young people based on race.
There are so many wonderful tie ins for this book that could be used with students. Students could be asked what they have in common with John Stokes– is anyone in their family a boy scout, or interested in farming or plants? I would ask them to make a T-chart (What I Think vs. What I Know) about what they think was true about schools in the 1950’s, and compare it to what we read about in the book. Students could compare their lives in school today with the daily life of the students at Robert Russa Moton High School, to talk about change over time.
This all leads me to my questions for our class. What is a way to bring the Jim Crow time period alive for students? Is there a way you could tie in a lesson about The Manhattan Project or The Lost Generation, each of which was featured in the book? How could you incorporate primary sources, including visual aids to help students understand what was at stake for this strike?
Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to seeing your responses!
-Kristen
Hi Kristen,
Thank you so much for all your insight, I really value hearing what you have to share. While reflecting on your questions, I thought about ways I could make the Jim Crow Era come alive for students. I was thinking that incorporating as many primary sources as possible would give the students a glimpse into history at that time. The students can discuss and share what they have read, challenge ideas, and share opinions. This will allow for many perspectives to come into the picture, and students will be able to learn from each other and their findings. Another way we could make this period come alive would be to have the students create a project on their findings to show the struggles people were facing in their daily lives. I think tieing in a lesson about the Manhattan Project or The Lost Generation would give the students another event and perspective to think about to shape their perception on history.
Overall, I think students have the right to think for themselves and as a teacher its your job to teach history in a way that allows them to do so.
Hi Kristen! Thanks for the insightful and descriptive post. I can’t believe it’s the last one! I didn’t realize that the school strike in Prince Edward County occurred almost exactly 74 years ago, and I appreciate the timeliness of our discussion on these topics.
I had a similar experience, in realizing that, though Brown vs. Board had been emphasized throughout my history classes, I knew very little about the five cases involved. I appreciate how Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and Me offered a unique perspective that helped me gain a more well-rounded understanding of the situation, especially through John’s detailed descriptions.
I love your ideas about tying concepts from the book into discussions with students, to help them connect and engage more deeply. I think a T-chart could also be a great resource to gauge students’ understanding about schools in the 50’s and compare it to what they learn from the book.
I think reading books like Students on Strike, with its detailed descriptions, helps students understand what this time was like. Additionally, field trips to museums and historical sites can help students visually engage and bring this period to life. To tie in a lesson about the Lost Generation, you could assign a project for students, where they research the effects of how this period impacted people and culture. To incorporate primary sources, you could use photos of segregated schools from the 1950s, allowing students to develop a better mental image of these inequalities. In class, we looked at images comparing bathrooms in all white versus all black schools. These images highlighted the stark differences, and better helped us understand what was at stake for this strike.
Thanks again for a very thoughtful post, Kristen. Have a great weekend!
Hi Kristen,
Thank you for this great blog post! I really liked how you connected the current season and timing of late April to the student strike in Prince Edward County. This is truly crazy to think about! I also appreciate your honesty about not realizing how Brown v. Board was built from multiple cases, I definitely agree.
Your point about the Manhattan Project as inspiration for the students’ planning really stuck out to me. It’s such a great example of how young people can take historical knowledge and apply it to real-life organizing. That connection opens up so many possibilities for interdisciplinary teaching. I also love your suggestion to use T-charts and comparing activities to help students connect with the material.
One thing that stood out to me was how your post emphasized the personal cost of the strike, with families losing jobs, schools shutting down for six years. So often, students read about protests and civil rights in textbooks and see them as victorious moments, but I believe it is important to emphasize the sacrifice that comes with those things.
I think one way to bring the Jim Crow era to life is to use primary sources, as we have done in class, to help them truly conceptualize the time period. To use visual aids, I would use side-by-side photos of Black and white schools from the Jim Crow era. I anticipate the students will be shocked to see how unequal the conditions were.
Thanks again for your great post, I hope you have a great weekend, and I look forward to a fun last class on Monday!
Hi Kristen, thank you for your blog post!
Some ways I think we as educators could make that time period more concrete for students would be comparing and contrasting what it is like in school today versus then. I like what you suggested about having them make educated guesses about what it was like before sharing information, then students could compare and discuss the differences they notice. Primary sources, such as photographs, would be helpful as well, specifically imagery of the treatment of black students integrating all white schools, as well as the difference in facilities for black and white students. We could discuss different things accessible to white students versus black, have students walk through a day in the life of a student at an all white school, getting picked up from their home by a bus, going into a freshly painted classroom, using brand new textbooks, facilities, etc. Then you could contrast that with a student attending Robert Russa Moton High School, walking three miles along a busy road, heading to your tar paper classroom, sweating next to the furnace while other students are having to stand because there are not enough seats, etc. It’s important to make the inequality real so students can better comprehend the why behind the movement.
Hi Kirsten!
The best way to bring the Jim Crow era alive for students is by using books, primary sources, and videos. You could tie in their previous knowledge of WWII when teaching about this era. A teacher could use background knowledge to help show the importance of this strike being kept secret, like the Manhattan Project. For primary sources, I would want to show a lot of comparisons between white and black schools. When I learned about this in school, they mostly just spoke about the unequal schools. They did not show us how unequal they truly were. Using primary sources to compare schools will impact students more than just saying it. Showing images of the schools will also show how important it was for students to go on strike to receive a better education.
Thank you for your great post!
Mackenzie Woody
Hi Kristen,
Thank you for sharing with us. You did a wonderful job capturing the essence of Students on Strike and connecting it to your own reflections—especially the way you tied in the seasonal setting to the historical moment. It’s powerful to think about how John Stokes and his classmates took such bold action in the face of injustice, and your point about the ripple effects (like The Lost Generation) really underscores the stakes of their fight. I also love your idea of having students compare their own school experiences to those of Moton High students—it’s such an effective way to make history feel immediate and relevant.
I agree that the afterword really drives this home. It’s one thing to read about the strike in a textbook, but hearing Stokes’s personal reflections makes it visceral. The fear, the sacrifices, the backlash against their families—it highlights how much bravery it took to demand change. And yet, as you said, it was worth it. Their fight is a catalyst for human dignity, freedom, and the future of their community. That’s a message that resonates deeply today.
While reflecting on your post, I think of the Art of Protests. Some classroom activities can be organize to show images of civil rights protest signs (1950s) and modern ones. Then, have students design their own signs for an issue they believe in, using Stokes’s story as inspiration. I think this activity would create lots of space for students to compare, discuss and reflect, showing the connection of their modern day’s life and the past.
Thank you once again for your beautiful post, Kristen!
Best,
Tam Vo
Hi Kristen,
Thank you for sharing!
One way to bring the Jim Crowe era alive to students is through first-person narratives and literature and art. Students can read excerpts from people who were forced to live through these policies. They can also view and analyze art that captures the emotion that these policies caused for African American communities.
Ultimately, the incorporation of primary sources and visual aids is crucial in students understanding of this time period, even though they may sometimes be upsetting. Other examples of primary sources that might be included are photographs, political cartoons, newspaper clippings, and even the specific laws. This will help students to get an idea of the whole picture of what was going on at the time.
Thank you,
Nina
Hi Kristen! Thanks for the post!
I appreciate your reflection, you raised a lot of great questions and comments!
I agree that primary sources would be incredibly important during lessons surrounding this book and stretch of time. Having students analyze and wonder about different images from the time, such as schools, bathrooms, or public spaces could be a really good way to get them thinking about the inequalities between all the facilities and resources each race had access to. Both The Manhattan Project or The Lost Generation are really important to include, and I think it would be beneficial for students to hear first person accounts of the two events, from Stokes as well as others if possible. Having students reflect on challenges they faces could help them understand the seriousness of the events.
Thanks again for a great post!!
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for your thoughtful post on Students on Strike. I liked your idea of using a T-chart to help students separate assumptions from facts. I think that’s a great way to build both historical understanding and critical thinking.
To bring the Jim Crow era alive for students, I think incorporating primary sources is essential; we’ve seen in class how powerful things like photographs, newspaper clippings, and oral histories can be in helping students understand what life looked and felt like at the time. For example, side-by-side photos of white and Black school buildings from the same time period can make the inequality strikingly clear without needing many words. I’d also consider using interactive digital archives where students can explore documents like petitions, letters, or court records related to the Prince Edward County strike.
One activity that might support this could be having students work in small groups to examine different types of primary sources and then “curate” a mini-exhibit for their classmates. We’ve done some mini museums in our school, and it’s been a great way to engage students and get them invested in the learning process. I think giving students the chance to teach each other through those artifacts could make the history feel more immediate and relevant.
Thanks again for the questions and your post!
– Emily
Hi Kristen!
Thank you so much for your post. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather.
I truly believe that pictures are so powerful. I think showing photos like Ruby Bridges and letting them know she is still alive will help them understand that this was not that long ago. The people in the picture with her that are harassing her are probably still alive and are still probably registered voters. This country has come a long way but still has a long way to go. The same goes with the pictures of the bus that Rosa Parks was on and how she was not in the wrong seats. These were very impactful for me and I think that kids need to know the real truth.
Primary sources are beneficial. You are holding history in your hands and able to really put yourrself in the past with them.
Thanks again for your post!