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John
A. Stokes is an original plaintiff in the landmark civil rights case, at his high school in 1951.
John
is also author of STUDENTS
ON STRIKE: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown
and Me with Dr. Lois Wolfe and Dr. Herman Viola, in which he reveals the inner workings of this student coalition that he assisted
in planning, organizing, and leading, to demand better conditions at Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Farmville, Virginia. Stokes takes the readers on a detailed journey during the Jim Crow era. He even details how the school officials closed the public school system down for five years. Prince Edward County Public Schools were shut down completely from
1959-1964.
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 different colleges and universities. He served as an ad hoc member of a Virginia General Assembly Steering Committee in
Richmond, Virginia. This committee was instrumental in getting $2,000,000 funded to the "Brown
v. Board of Education Scholarship Program and Fund" which assisted
those affected by the closure of public schools to avoid desegregation. 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 N.A.A.C.P. Award
*** an N.E.A. 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 Capitol grounds (at The Capitol Square Civil Rights Memorial) in Richmond, VA. This
unique statue was unveiled in July 2008. Enter Here to view monument. 
"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 Russa 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
This book received a STARRED REVIEW "Stokes's inspiring story...will hold the interest of researchers and readers, making this an important choice for all collections."
It has also been presented
for a multiplicity of awards, nominations, and recognitions. The American Library Association Social Studies Roundtable
Task Force selected John Stokes as the "torch bearer for MLK and the civil rights movement" at their annual convention
in 2008.
Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Brown, and Me Published by National Geographic.
ISBN information: 978-1-4263-0153-7 Hardcover $15.95 / $19.95 Canadian
Sale Price $ 11.96
978-1-4263-0154-4 Library-binding $23.90 / $29.95 Canadian
Sale Price $ 17.93
Grades 5 & up ** 5-1/4
x 8-1/4**128 pages
To
order direct: Call toll-free 1-877-873-6846 or fax 1-515-699-3738
**This book is also available in student
paper back addition at As a result of this great book, J. A. Stokes has been featured
in many newspapers and magazines including: The College Board Review, The Washington Post, The
Informant, The Farmville Herald, The Daily Herald,
Suburban Life, The Gazette, The Chicago Tribune, Prince George County Library System Newsletter,
as well as MBC News and the Glen Ellyn News. He has also been
featured in enumerable articles. Mr. Stokes has most recently been a guest on CNN.COM and C-Span 2.
He has been featured on many radio and television stations in regards to his mission and journey including the Great Plains
television network and The Tavis Smiley show.
Read what current students of Prince Edward County Public Schools of
Farmville, Virginia, had to say about this remarkable book.... Rithika Bramananda "We should read this book because
it tells you what happened in Prince Edward and what the people were going through everyday. It also tells you how they
went on strike to have better schools. I like chapter 14 the most because the NAACP came and said that the schools should
be non-segregated and equal. Then they voted on the topic to re-open the schools. This impressed me because it
taught me that if I work hard then I can do anything. It is important to know whose shoulders you're standing on because
if you're not standing on the right shoulders then you'll never get anything done. I would recommend this book to everyone
because it is good and it tells you more about Prince Edward."
Isaac Keohane "Many traits in human nature are exquisite, amazing, generous,
and even pleasant. Although these attributes make life an enjoyable place to live, other impressions on human nature
make life unbearable and atrocious. One of the worst ways these are expressed is through discrimination. Whether
they segregate by race, religion, speech, or any selective characteristic, segregation is a horrible feature of human instinct.
During the United States 1960's, segregation by race was at its highest point since emancipation.
Thousands of people were denied rights you never even thought of. Policemen were prejudice, firefighters were prejudice,
and all forms of national government were majority prejudice. Every African American was looked as inferior in mind
and body to Caucasian whites. Not only were African Americans looked down upon and separated, but they were treated
with such disdain that a white mans cow slept better than an African American.
When I read
this book, Mr. Stokes talked about how when going back to his house, he would hide in the bushes by the highway when a car
would come by. His book opened my eyes to how oppressive human nature can be if we let it. I believe that
all of you need to understand the significance of this statement. Back in the 1960's the schools in Prince Edward County were
closed to children of black skin. This act devastated the future if many children who wanted to learn. All people
need to understand what happens to a person if they don't have a primary education. Young people around the globe need
to realize that education is the thing that gives them opportunities in their future. This book opened my eyes in ways that
I think all people should be able to experience. That education is a universal remote for my life, and that a strong
character and sharp wits are the knockout blows in my arsenal of traits. So please, go down to your library and read
this excellent recollection of atrocious deeds past." ***************************************************************** These days, Mr. Stokes devotes most of his time to 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."
Mr. Stokes is now in the midst of lectures/tours in order to promote this historical and significant information to people
throughout the country. J. A. Stokes continues to expound upon the Civil Rights Era and the continued needs to keep
up the fight for equality and justice for all people. He stresses the fact that all people should become Social Engineers
for change. Throughout his career, Mr. Stokes has never forgotten whose shoulders he has stood on. Hence, he has
never forgotten his roots.
Here, students at Luella Elementary
School in Locust Grove, Georgia had a unique opportunity to listen to and talk with Mr. Stokes during one of his many stops
along his journey as he shares his experiences of school segregation. His story uncovers more than what many students
will find in textbooks, including a non-violent strike that lead to the end of separate schools for blacks and whites in Virginia.
"They were separate, but not equal," Stokes explained to the students about the 1896 decision of the United
States Supreme Court in Plessy vs. Ferguson, which dictated separate but equal public facilities for blacks and whites. Photo by Cristy Smith Staff Writer, The Henry County Times, McDonough, GA
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