Virginia school board to vote on restoring Confederate names
A Virginia school board is poised to consider reverting two schools back to their original Confederate names amid a contentious debate that has deeply divided a town.
In 2020, the Shenandoah County School Board opted to rename Stonewall Jackson High and Ashby-Lee Elementary in Quicksburg. However, community members have been advocating for a reversal, contending that the name change lacks popular support.
Thursday’s upcoming vote could signal a notable shift, possibly marking the first such reversal in the United States. Anticipated at the school board’s public meeting is a sizable crowd, comprising residents on both sides of the issue.
In the wake of the May 2020 killing of George Floyd and subsequent racial justice protests, Virginia and other states removed Confederate statues from public spaces.
Then-Democratic Governor Ralph Northam urged school board chairs across the state to consider changing school names and mascots linked to Confederate figures.
Responding to this directive, the Shenandoah County School Board swiftly acted, renaming Stonewall Jackson High as Mountain View High and Ashby-Lee Elementary as Honey Run Elementary.
These schools had been named after Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, along with cavalry commander Turner Ashby.
Alongside the renaming, the board passed a resolution condemning racism and reaffirming its dedication to fostering an inclusive school environment.
Nevertheless, critics decried the renaming process as rushed and undemocratic. They have since sought to restore the schools’ Confederate names, particularly as recent local elections have altered the composition of the school board.
In April, the Coalition for Better Schools, a conservative community group, renewed the request, citing citizen surveys indicating strong support for reverting to the original names.
The group argued for the historical significance of these names and stressed the importance of honoring the community’s heritage and respecting the majority’s wishes.
Reportedly, the coalition intends to raise private funds to cover expenses associated with the name reversal, such as updating school signage.
Its effort is drawing attention across the state, with the Virginia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights organisation, urging the school board in a letter on Wednesday to “use your power in a way that positively impacts all your district’s children and their families”.
Neil Thorne, a local resident campaigning against the U-turn with a group called Claim the Names, warned “it will indelibly damage our community’s reputation”.
Minority members of the community still recall when Stonewall Jackson High was “whites-only” and they had to be bussed to schools in adjacent counties, he said.
“The naming of these schools was not incidental but reflected the segregated policies of the time,” he said in a statement.
“The people who suffered through this are not past strangers – they are people we know, they are our friends and neighbors.”
Shenandoah County, in northern Virginia, was once a stronghold of the pro-slavery South, with its ample valley providing food, security and transportation advantages.
During the US Civil War, Confederate forces waged several successful military campaigns against the Union army there.
The county is now home to more than 44,000 people, and is predominantly white.
Black residents often live and work in towns where Confederate flags are displayed on front porches. Many of those who fly the banner defend it as a celebration of heritage, not a symbol of hatred.
