Political Quotes

“I thank Congressman Scott for his comments. I refer to myself as a nerd--which is okay, because the nerds usually win in the end--who loves history. My acquaintance with the story of Barbara Johns did not begin as a school student taking Virginia history in Virginia, it did not begin as a student at a top tier university studying history. It began when I became a candidate for the State Senate of Virginia. The district that I wished to represent and had the honor of representing included Farmville. So when I went to Farmville, I had the opportunity to attend a function at the Moton Museum, which stands where R.R. Moton High School stood and, in fact, encompasses the bulk of that facility. I heard about Barbara Johns, and I thought: Who is Barbara Johns? And the more I learned about Barbara Johns, the more I was amazed that I didn't know the answer to that question. When we put in a bill to commemorate April 23, the day that this courageous, and I would stress without ceasing, 16-year-old student-- when I was 16 years old, I think I was more concerned with the zit on my nose and whether I could get a homecoming date than whether I was going to change the world. But when I learned more about her and we put in a bill to commemorate April 23 as a holiday in the Commonwealth of Virginia, it was my hope that one day someone would look at a calendar and see Barbara Johns Day and say: Who was Barbara Johns?…”