Prince Edward County, Virginia, has a significant place in Black history due to its role in the fight for educational equality. In 1951, the NAACP filed a lawsuit known as Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County on behalf of a group of African American students who were attending dilapidated and overcrowded schools compared to the white students. This case was one of five cases combined into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.

After the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, Prince Edward County officials, like many others in the South, resisted desegregation. Rather than integrate its schools, the county board of supervisors chose to shut down the public school system in 1959. This decision left nearly 2,000 Black children without access to education, as white students were able to attend private, segregated schools.

The closure of the public schools in Prince Edward County, which lasted from 1959 to 1964, is known as the "Lost Generation" because of the educational opportunities that were denied to Black students during this time. It was not until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and additional legal battles that Prince Edward County schools were forced to reopen and begin the process of desegregation.

The struggle for educational equality in Prince Edward County serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges faced by Black communities in the fight against segregation and discrimination, as well as the resilience and determination of those who fought for justice and equal rights.