Prince Edward County, Virginia has a significant place in Black history due to its role in the civil rights movement and a landmark Supreme Court case. In 1951, the students at the all-Black Moton High School in Farmville, Prince Edward County, led by 16-year-old Barbara Johns, staged a strike to protest the inadequate and segregated school facilities. Their actions would become one of the five cases that would be consolidated into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case in 1954, which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, Prince Edward County officials refused to desegregate their schools, leading to the infamous "Massive Resistance." In 1959, Prince Edward County officials decided to close all public schools rather than integrate them, leaving Black students without access to education for five years. This dark period in Prince Edward County's history became known as the "Lost Generation," as many Black children were deprived of their right to an education.

In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County that the County's decision to close public schools as a tactic to avoid desegregation was unconstitutional. This led to the reopening of public schools in Prince Edward County, although the effects of the "Lost Generation" continue to impact the community to this day.

Overall, Prince Edward County's role in the civil rights movement and its defiance of the Supreme Court's rulings highlight the struggles and resilience of Black communities in the fight against segregation and for equality in education.