In 1958, the Commonwealth of Virginia led other Southern states in refusing the U.S. Supreme Court's mandate to integrate its public schools. Several counties "locked down" or closed their public schools altogether — one for as long as five years — rather than allow black students into all-white schools. 

This program sheds light on this dark moment in history through interviews, academic commentary and archival footage from the era and offers first-hand accounts from African-American students who found themselves on the front lines of this desegregation battle.