WHEREAS, May 17, 2026, marks the 72nd anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark, unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which ended legal segregation in public schools; and 

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia played a unique role in the Brown v. Board of Education decision by defending and maintaining a system of legally sanctioned racial segregation in public education; and  

WHEREAS, one of the five consolidated cases comprising Brown v. Board of Education arose in Virginia when sixteen-year-old student Barbara Rose Johns led a walkout protesting the unequal and unsafe conditions of the Black school she attended in Prince Edward County, Virginia; and 

WHEREAS, the actions of Barbara Rose Johns led to NAACP lawyers — including Oliver W. Hill,— a pioneering civil rights attorney who dedicated his career to dismantling segregation, —and Spotswood W. Robinson III—a brilliant legal strategist who later became the first Black Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit — filing Davis v. Prince Edward County School Board on behalf of 117 Virginia students, ultimately becoming part of Brown v. Board of Education; and 

WHEREAS, these legal efforts were part of a broader movement led by dedicated advocates, including Henry L. Marsh III, who as a young attorney worked alongside Hill and Robinson and carried forward the fight for civil rights, equal access to education, and justice in public life; and 

WHEREAS, in 1956, the Commonwealth of Virginia adopted policies of “Massive Resistance” to block school desegregation, resulting in the closure of public schools and the rescission of funds in Arlington County, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Prince Edward County, and Warren County for varying periods and denying thousands of students access to education; and 

WHEREAS, we recognize the fortitude of all the Brown v. Board of Education plaintiffs, civil rights lawyers, and civil rights leaders in paving the way for integration and improving the quality of educational opportunities for students of color and students with diverse backgrounds and educational needs; and 

WHEREAS, attaining the promise of racial equity embedded in Brown v. Board of Education remains an ongoing endeavor, so that all of Virginia’s students are equipped with the resources they need to learn and realize their dreams; and  

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Abigail D. Spanberger, Governor, do hereby recognize May 2026, as BROWN v. BOARD OF EDUCATION MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens