RICHMOND, Va. — A state panel has recommended that a statue of civil rights hero Barbara Johns should represent Virginia at the U.S. Capitol.
Her likeness in the Statuary Hall collection would replace that of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the Commission For Historical Statues In The United States Capitol voted 6-1 Wednesday in favor of Johns.
The General Assembly must sign off on the pick.
Like every other state, Virginia has two representatives in the collection. The state’s other statue is of George Washington.
Johns was a schoolgirl who led a walkout at her school in 1951 to protest substandard segregated schools. It led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling that found segregated public schools unconstitutional.
