At 16 years old, Barbara Johns was a high school junior at the all-Black Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, when she took a stand for equality.

Raised on a farm, Barbara balanced daily chores with her deep love for reading—a passion nurtured by her uncle, Vernon Johns, a minister and influential civil rights activist. Seeking solitude and inspiration, she often rode her horse into the woods where she would read and reflect on the world around her.