Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and Me by John A. Stokes, Herman Viola, Lois Wolfe, Herman J. Viola (With), Lois Wolfe (With)

From the Publisher

John Stokes has waited more than 50 years to give his eyewitness account of "The Manhattan Project." This was the name he and a group of fellow students gave their strike at R.R. Moton High School that helped to end separate schooling for blacks and whites, not only in his home state of Virginia, but throughout America. Told in Stokes’ own words, the story vividly conveys how his passion for learning helped set in motion one of the most powerful movements in American history, resulting in the desegregation of schools—and life—in the United States.

As a child tending crops on the family farm, John Stokes never dreamed that one day he would be at the center of the Civil Rights Movement. Yet, on April 23, 1951, he and his fellow students walked out of the school and into the history books. Their school was built to accommodate 180 students, yet over 400 black students attended classes in leaky buildings with tar paper walls. A potbelly stove served as the only source of heat, and the school lacked running water, indoor plumbing, and a cafeteria. Yet to Stokes and his fellow students, it was their path to a better life.

Students on Strike is an evocative first-person narrative from a period of radical change in American history. Stokes recounts the planning of the student walkout, the secret meetings, the plot to send the principal on a wild goose chase after "truant" students, and the strategy to boycott classes until conditions improved. The author recalls the challenges in persuading teachers and parents to support the strike, and the intimidation that came in the form of threats and a cross-burning on school grounds. Archival illustrations fromStokes’ scrapbook add to the emotional impact of his story. The narrative follows the course of the lawsuits filed by the NAACP, which would became part of the historic Brown v Board of Education ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court and the subsequent end to segregation in America.

Young readers will relish this inspirational account of the heroic struggles of John Stokes and his fellow students; they will also learn a timeless lesson that people with little influence—but with great determination—can make a difference.

Children's Literature

His mother cooked and cleaned for white people, yet was a Bible scholar; his father had a third grade education, but read three newspapers a day. No wonder the author was destined to take a stand for future generations. Stokes grew up in Prince Edward County, Virginia, where segregation was not only practiced, but legal. Although Stokes and his five siblings were taught the importance of education early on, ironically, they confronted numerous obstacles to get that education. First, there was the three-year delay before they could even start elementary school, because the designated building was in a dangerous location. Then came the four-mile walk to school along a busy highway (buses were only for white students). And finally, once they got to school, 450 people were squeezed into a building designed for 180. The author notes that "The cows I used to milk lived in a more secure structure than the shacks we attended classes in." Fed up with the separate-but-not-equal school system, Stokes and the 450 students went on strike on April 23, 1951, refusing to return until a new building was under construction. Written in a friendly, engaging style, this memoir is a fascinating story of hope, courage, conviction and determination that is guaranteed to inspire its readers to set an example for their fellow students. That way, one day, someone will be able to stand on your shoulders. Reviewer: Naomi Milliner

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10- In 1951, a group of African-American high school students in Prince Edward County, VA, went on strike to protest the substandard conditions in their segregated school. They eventually became plaintiffs in a lawsuit that was one of the five that were part of the 1954 Brown decision. In 1959, Prince Edward County closed its schools rather than comply with desegregation orders, and deprived thousands of black students of an education until county schools reopened in 1964. Fear of retribution and lingering bitterness has kept the strike leaders silent, but Stokes, who was among them, has decided that the story of the strike and its aftermath needed to be told. He opens by describing how he and his family survived under the severe restrictions of the Jim Crow South. He then explains how the students' desire for a more equal education motivated them to create and implement intricate strike plans and discusses how the local African-American community supported their efforts in spite of the "massive resistance" of white Virginians. Period black-and-white photos and maps are included. Stokes's inspiring story reveals an almost completely unreported part of one of the most important court cases of the 20th century, and it will hold the interest of researchers and readers, making this an important choice for all collections.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO

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