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Aaliyah Monae Toney took it all in on Saturday. As she stood at the podium, the Prince Edward High valedictorian reflected on history and what it meant for the Class of 2025. This year marks 71 years since Barbara Rose Johns led a walk out at her high school. This is also 61 years since Prince Edward County reopened schools, as the supervisors had closed them in 1959, rather than integrate the classes. 

“For me to be standing here now, 61 years later, is not something I take lightly,” Toney told the audience on Saturday. “I’m standing on the shoulders of people who were denied desks, denied teachers, denied classrooms, yet still fought for their right to learn.” 

That’s the thing about progress. Sometimes you see it unfold over days or weeks. Other times, it can take months or even years to see growth and development. Progress, while real, is unfinished, Toney said. 

“Our achievements, mine and yours, are not just personal victories,” she added. “They are pieces of a much bigger story about who we carry with us and what we choose to stand for as we move forward.” 

The National Honor Society member, who also competed in track, tennis and Scholastic Bowl during her time at Prince Edward, encouraged her classmates to take notes from the history here in Prince Edward. 

“Make sure your sacrifices matter. Make sure they move you toward your goals and not away from what’s important to you,” Toney said. “Make sure at the end of the day, you are content with the life that you are leading and if you are not, don’t be afraid to change course. You are allowed to grow, pivot and redefine what success means to you.”

‘We are extremely proud of you’ 

Prince Edward School Board Chair Lucy Carson also wanted to encourage the Class of 2025, saying the school board, their parents and the community are all extremely proud of the work done and the achievements made by these students. 

“Remember that education is a passport to the future, it belongs to those who prepare for it today,” Carson said. “Your teachers have prepared you for the future. As you receive your diploma, you are ready for the future. Take pride in how far you have come, have faith in how far you will go, set goals for yourself, be a lifelong learner and don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”

Carson also quoted Nelson Mandela in saying that education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. 

“So go out there, use your education to make positive change,” she urged students. 

Speak up in Prince Edward and beyond

The theme of change was also on the mind of Bianca Casper, who served as the guest speaker for graduation. A graduate herself of Prince Edward High from the Class of 2007, Casper works as Senior Constituent Services Advocate for Virginia Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. Much like Toney earlier, Casper wanted people to reflect on the history of this area and what impact change has had. 

“This isn’t just any high school and Farmville isn’t just some small town. We are literally sitting on hallowed and historic grounds,” Casper said. “Over 70 years ago, right here in Prince Edward County, a group of courageous students from Robert Russa Moton High School made history. Led by 16-year-old Barbara Johns, they walked out to protest the poor conditions of their segregated school. That protest eventually became one of the five cases in Brown v. Board of Education. Their bravery changed the course of American history.”

Casper asked the students and other members of the audience to look around and think about what graduation might have looked like in 1954, when the walkout took place. 

“(Graduation) would have looked a lot different than what we have in this room today, because even after the ruling in Brown v. Board, Prince Edward County made a heartbreaking decision and shut down its public schools for five years rather than integrate,” Casper said. “And that’s a part of our history too. It’s a painful truth but also a testament to how far we’ve come. I’m a product of that change and know that you’re all graduating from this historic site as change agents.”

Casper pointed out that Barbara Rose Johns was a teenager when she led the walkout. And just like her, each member of the Class of 2025 is capable of achieving change.  

“You are proof that progress is possible, that voices matter, that young people matter,” Casper said. “You are also proof that young people can and always have shaped history. (But) make no mistake, that progress is under threat and now you are the ones that must protect it.” 

Know who represents you 

Casper also encouraged the graduates to stay connected and get engaged with activities to better their community. 

“Know where you live and who represents you. Do you know who the mayor of Farmville is? Do you know Farmville has a mayor? His name is Brian Vincent,” Casper said. “We also have a town council, school board, state delegate and state senator. At the federal level, you have someone who represents you in the House of Representatives and you have two senators. These people shape the policies that impact your schools, your roads, your jobs, your taxes. Get to know who these people are.”

Get engaged, volunteer and invest in causes that are important to you, she challenged the students. She also encouraged each of them to advocate for themselves and stand up for themselves. 

“It was a student who led a movement that helped change a nation. That same fire exists in you,” Casper said. “You have the power to transform your community, your neighborhoods, your families and yourselves. So speak up, speak out, get in the way and as the late Congressman John Lewis said, get in good trouble. Necessary trouble.”