Woodson Renaming?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To add, most schools named after confederate leaders were not named that way just after the Civil War, when it might be more understandable (even if I don’t understand it today). It was well into the 20th century and intended to intimidate.

I imagine it’s the same with this. He likely wasn’t honored for his superior management schools. He was likely honored because of his leadership in trying to keep segregation in FCPS as long as he could.

He was FCPS superintendent for a long time and still alive when they named the school after him. I think they made an exception from a policy in effect at the time that no schools should be named after people who were still living. I don’t think they chose the name to honor his segregationist views, but obviously they didn’t treat them as disqualifying, either.

If Woodson goes, does “Cavaliers” go, too? Some people don’t like the connotations of that name, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To add, most schools named after confederate leaders were not named that way just after the Civil War, when it might be more understandable (even if I don’t understand it today). It was well into the 20th century and intended to intimidate.

I imagine it’s the same with this. He likely wasn’t honored for his superior management schools. He was likely honored because of his leadership in trying to keep segregation in FCPS as long as he could.

He was FCPS superintendent for a long time and still alive when they named the school after him. I think they made an exception from a policy in effect at the time that no schools should be named after people who were still living. I don’t think they chose the name to honor his segregationist views, but obviously they didn’t treat them as disqualifying, either.

If Woodson goes, does “Cavaliers” go, too? Some people don’t like the connotations of that name, either.

Cavaliers is somewhat controversial today. But you still have public schools with the Conquistadors mascot in California, even in liberal LA.

I’m sure it will be all up for debate. Maybe there’ll be a push to keep the “W” in the name or find some other famous Woodson, but for others that would signify the continuity of a racist tradition, which is why Wilson HS in DC went with a complete renaming and rebranding to J-R HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Woodson opposed desegregation and delayed integrating FCPS. Why should he be honored with his name on a school?

In the future, if we’re going to name schools after people, how about naming them after Jesus Christ, the man without sin. Because everybody else is going to have some disqualifying event in their past, if you look hard enough.

[Anonymous]

$1,000,000.

One million dollars.

It will cost up to $1,000,000 in total to change the name.

One million buys quite a bit of school supplies. Or salaries for many educators.

Is an unnecessary name change (over an issue nobody knows / cares about) really the best use of funds right now?

[Anonymous]

Please show me how renaming Stuart to Justice has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Lee to Lewis has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Mosby Woods to Mosaic has improved the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please show me how renaming Stuart to Justice has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Lee to Lewis has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Mosby Woods to Mosaic has improved the school.

Silly, it’s not about improving schools, it’s about salving liberal consciences.

[Anonymous]

There were statements made by School Board members when renaming Stuart and Lee that there was something uniquely odious about having named schools to honor Confederate generals or soldiers, and that this needed to be addressed.

I could see the logic in that, but Woodson was neither a Confederate general nor a Confederate soldier. He may have held some racist views, but so did others after whom schools have been named, and he certainly didn’t put his life on the line trying to defend the institution of slavery.

As a school, Woodson has a distinguished history, and it seems the name change process has become addictive to politicians on the School Board looking to advertise their virtue in an election season. And even if changing a high school’s name doesn’t cost a full $1M, it certainly isn’t inexpensive, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There were statements made by School Board members when renaming Stuart and Lee that there was something uniquely odious about having named schools to honor Confederate generals or soldiers, and that this needed to be addressed.

I could see the logic in that, but Woodson was neither a Confederate general nor a Confederate soldier. He may have held some racist views, but so did others after whom schools have been named, and he certainly didn’t put his life on the line trying to defend the institution of slavery.

As a school, Woodson has a distinguished history, and it seems the name change process has become addictive to politicians on the School Board looking to advertise their virtue in an election season. And even if changing a high school’s name doesn’t cost a full $1M, it certainly isn’t inexpensive, either.

This effort is best compared to the renaming of TC Williams. Both were very popular superintendents who also tried to block desegregation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An agenda item for a School Board work session tomorrow is “Woodson Renaming Forum.”

Is Woodson going to get renamed like Stuart, Lee, Lanier, and Mosby Woods? Woodson was a former FCPS superintendent and supposedly not the most progressive figure of his era, but he wasn’t a Confederate soldier.

Another day, another Moms for Liberty troll post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about Woodson.

https://sites.google.com/view/fcps-desegregation/resources/woodson-on-desegregation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please show me how renaming Stuart to Justice has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Lee to Lewis has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Mosby Woods to Mosaic has improved the school.

All of these changes are an improvement to counteract the racist and segregationist intent in naming them after Confederate war figures in in 1959, 1958, and 1963 respectively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An agenda item for a School Board work session tomorrow is “Woodson Renaming Forum.”

Is Woodson going to get renamed like Stuart, Lee, Lanier, and Mosby Woods? Woodson was a former FCPS superintendent and supposedly not the most progressive figure of his era, but he wasn’t a Confederate soldier.

Another day, another Moms for Liberty troll post.

They’re not always wrong.

[Anonymous]

Please tell me this is a joke.

If I had a kid at Woodson, I'd be so annoyed. I just bought all the uniforms and gear for my kids - sports, PE, band, etc. I would not be buying anything new for my kids. And I guess the neighborhood will have to paint over all those Ws on the streets?

This is all just so damn stupid. It's a waste of time and resources when the school board could be worried about bigger things like - I dunno - education.

[Anonymous]

Huh.

As a transplant, I always assumed Woodson HS was named after president Woodrow Wilson, combining his first and last name into one single name.

WOODrow + wilSON = woodson.

Now I feel silly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please show me how renaming Stuart to Justice has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Lee to Lewis has improved the school.
Please show me how renaming Mosby Woods to Mosaic has improved the school.

All of these changes are an improvement to counteract the racist and segregationist intent in naming them after Confederate war figures in in 1959, 1958, and 1963 respectively.

Millions of dollars spent could have gone a long way to help kids instead of virtue signaling. No one thought about who the schools were named after--they could have removed all the references to those people. And, Mosby Woods was named after a neighborhood.