Activist! Plaintiff! Author!
Educator! Lecturer! Trailblazer!
"I am hiding in the bushes to keep from being seen and/or discovered. In my
haste to hide, I accidentally ripped the skin off my leg. I now feel that fresh
blood as it soaks through my clothing. No, I have not committed a crime. It is
the era/time in which I am now living that created this problem. I am living in
the era of 'Separate But Equal'. This law did very little to protect people of color."
The above quote is the opening passage and chapter in Stokes’ book titled Students on Strike. In this book, J. A. Stokes takes readers on a journey so that all can experience what he experienced, lived through, and/or felt during that scary period in history. Hence, one will understand fully why Stokes was hiding on that hot, humid, moonless night along a major highway system in rural Virginia.
In this day and time, the experience cited above and others that would match the category through which Stokes and his peers experienced and suffered would be looked upon by some as a type of bullying. Thus, the bullying pulpit had been established by ‘The Separate But Equal’ Doctrine. After all, this was the law of the land during that time. It was separate, but it was NEVER, EVER equal. The law in reference was known as Plessy v. Ferguson. Consequently, we had had enough! The idea of a strike was born. As a high school activist and a key strike leader at Robert Russa Moton High School in 1951, Stokes became a part of a movement that was felt and heard throughout the world. This strike set the stage for Stokes to become one of the original plaintiffs in the landmark civil rights case, Brown v. Board of Education.
Mr. Stokes served as a teacher, a master teacher, assistant principal, assistant to the superintendent, and principal in Baltimore City Public Schools before retiring as principal in 1994. One would think that after retiring, Mr John A. Stokes would have slowed down a bit. On the contrary, since retiring, he has served as an adjunct professor at several different colleges and universities.
Mr. Stokes has received a multiplicity of awards and recognitions due to his stance for the rights of all people:
***The Dr. Charles Hamilton Houston Award
***The A. Leon Higginbotham Award
*** a United States Department of Justice Award
*** a Congressional Senatorial Award
*** an NAACP Award
*** an NEA Award
*** an Award from the Community Teachers Institute
JUST TO NAME A FEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As if that's not enough, the greatest recognition to date would have to be Mr. Stokes' likeness in a figure that is now displayed among others in a civil rights monument on the capital grounds (at the Capital Square Civil Rights Memorial) in Richmond, Virginia. This unique statue was unveiled in July 2008. Enter here to view this Monument.
As previously stated, Stokes is the author of STUDENTS ON STRIKE: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown and Me with Dr. Lois Wolfe and Dr. Herman Viola.
“In this moving memoir, John A. Stokes recounts his experiences growing up in the oppressive conditions of the Jim Crow South. And for the first time ever, he reveals the workings of the student committee that planned and executed a strike for better conditions at Robert Russo Moton High School, a strike that made Stokes a plaintiff in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education and helped change life in the United States of America forever.”
~National Geographic
You can purchase your very own copy at Amazon as well as at Penguin Random House.
These days, Mr. Stokes does not travel much; however, when he did, he devoted much of his time lecturing on the Supreme Court's landmark case: Brown v. Board of Education. It is his “fervent hope that this book will encourage readers to take a stand for equality and justice for all people.” During his lectures and travels, Mr. Stokes promoted the historical and significant information to people throughout the country. J. A. Stokes continues to expound upon the Civil Rights Era and the ongoing need to keep up the fight for equality and justice for all people. He emphasizes that all people should become Social Engineers for change. Throughout his career, Mr. Stokes has never forgotten those on whose shoulders he stood. As a result, he has never forgotten his roots.
**Where it all began THEN…
Robert Russa Moton High School
Tar paper buildings that were part of the inferior Robert Russa Moton High School led to a student strike of more than 400 students. This resulted in the NAACP taking up their case.
Credit: the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Original Author: Richmond Times-Dispatch
Created: April 30, 1951
Medium: Photograph
...and now…
Click on the picture to get an inside look at the museum.
Here, John Stokes speaking at the Robert Russa Moton Museum, Farmville, VA, on April 23, 2001, on the 50th Anniversary of the Prince Edward County African American student strike at Robert R. Moton High School.
Mr. Stokes provides a "behind the scenes" report on the famous Barbara Johns-led student walkout and its aftermath. He also discussed the conditions of the schools in Prince Edward County, the role of parents and clergy in the strike, the early involvement of the NAACP in Prince Edward County, and rural life in segregated Virginia. Click on the link below to hear the Interview on VCU Scholars Compass - (3/21/2003) https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/voices/11/
YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) places Students on Strike on its Non-fiction Book List of 2009's Best Books for Young Adults.
Mr. John A. Stokes has been dubbed as one of the African American Trailblazers in Virginia history. This honor was awarded to him in 2011 by the Library of Virginia. Please click here to view this article.
Here, you will find Mr. Stokes as he addresses juniors in Glen Rock, NJ. During this visit, Mr. Stokes discusses the landmark court case.
One of the greatest moments of Mr. Stokes' travels:
May 16, 2014 – Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Brown v. Board
White House, Washington, DC
John A. Stokes - Original Plaintiff with President Barack Obama
Plaintiffs and family members of the Brown v. Board of Education case met with President Barack Obama on the 60th anniversary of the US Supreme Court's decision, as reported on page 7 of the July/August 2014 issue of TSSP. The White House released some press photos from that event, and here is one of them. Stokes, who helped lead a student strike at a Prince Edward County school for blacks in 1951, was a frequent presenter at NCSS Annual Conferences. His Social Education. His autobiography for youth, “Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown and Me,” with Lois Wolf and Herman J. Viola, was published by National Geographic in 2007. NCSS has endorsed the 30-minute film “Mr. Stokes’ Mission,” about the student strike and Stokes’ subsequent career as an educator.
You can hear a live interview with Mr. Stokes – His words; His voice.
Click on the link below to see the interview.
65 Years After Brown v. Board of Education: 'It's Never Going To Be Easy'
In this article from May 2019, on The 74, you will find an excerpt from Recovering Untold Stories: An Enduring Legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision in which J.A. Stokes expresses his views and detailed accounts of the strike.
These days, as previously mentioned, Mr. John A. Stokes does not travel much, but he’s always willing to tell his story!!! He'd love to hear from you. Now, however, thanks to Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, he should be addressed as Doctor Stokes, as he was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree from them back in May 2024, during their 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
Click on Longwood University’s logo for the details.
