Senator George Allen (R-Va.) and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) hosted a group to Farmville, Virginia to learn about what that community has done since 1959, when Prince Edward County shut down all its public schools to avoid integration after Brown vs. Board of Education.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) joined Sen. Allen and Rep. Lewis for the weekend, with Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va), and Gov.Tim Kaine (D-Va.) joining for various events.

The pilgrimage sought to educate the lawmakers and other participants on the significance of Farmville in civil rights history.In this quiet community, over forty years ago, sixteen-year-old Barbara Johns led her peers at Moton High School in a school walkout. This walkout led to the first in a series of local and national lawsuits that ultimately led to the Brown vs. Board decision.

After Brown vs. Board , looking to avoid integration, Prince Edward County became the only place in America to shut down its public schools for over five years. A private academy was built for most of the white students, but an entire "generation" of black students were left school-less. Some went to other counties, some families moved, but most just didn't go to school.

During the weekend pilgrimage, participants heard stories from many of the "lost generation," including Rita Moseley, who after two school-less years, was sent by away by her mother to be educated in a neighboring county.

During their time there, pilgrimage participants spent an afternoon at Moton High School, now a museum, sitting in small groups listening to the stories of former students.

In 2004, Ken Woodley, the editor of the local paper, successfully led a drive to convince the state to give scholarships to the lost generation. Many said that the scholarships went a long way in healing some of the wounds caused by the school closings. Many, including Rita Moseley have taken advantage of those scholarships.

Rev. Dr. Peter Storey gave the keynote address on Saturday April 29th to pilgrimage participants and guests. He spoke of the power of forgivness--and how only through forgiveness can we achieve reconciliation. As a South African minister, who worked closely with Bishop Desmond Tutu, he offered a unique and moving account.

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For full press coverage of this years pilgrimage, please [click here]

The Faith and Politics Institute's recent pilgrimage to highlight racial reconciliation in Prince Edward was powerful. Between 1959 and 1964, county leaders chose to close public schools to defy the Supreme Court's order to end segregation. Children's education became the collateral damage in this political battle. Both Senator George Allen and Governor Tim Kaine used the correct word to describe county leaders' actions: evil. Yet the Saturday evening session where they spoke belonged to former Johannesburg Bishop Peter Storey and his emotional tale of post-South African racial reconciliation.

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Dear Colleague letter from Rep. Lewis and Sen. Allen

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