Wilson HS becoming August Wilson HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a cop-out designed to make the name change as minimally disruptive as possible. I actually had joked that they'd propose this before they even came out with the list of possible names, only to find the joke was on me when August Wilson was on it.

August Wilson is certainly deserving of having a high school named for him, but the only reason a school in D.C. — where he has no real cultural connections — is choosing the name is because it's the same last name as Woodrow Wilson's.

+1, lazy decision. They should have picked someone with a connection to the city.

+2. I went to Wilson and would have loved to have seen it named for a woman (although I think that the views of current students should have held the most weight).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a cop-out designed to make the name change as minimally disruptive as possible. I actually had joked that they'd propose this before they even came out with the list of possible names, only to find the joke was on me when August Wilson was on it.

August Wilson is certainly deserving of having a high school named for him, but the only reason a school in D.C. — where he has no real cultural connections — is choosing the name is because it's the same last name as Woodrow Wilson's.

+1, lazy decision. They should have picked someone with a connection to the city.

You people have no sense of practicality. Let’s move on to trying to actually improve education in DC. Isn’t that the bigger problem?

There's no conflict at all between renaming Wilson and improving education in D.C., and just because there are bigger problems doesn't mean you can't also address little ones properly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a cop-out designed to make the name change as minimally disruptive as possible. I actually had joked that they'd propose this before they even came out with the list of possible names, only to find the joke was on me when August Wilson was on it.

August Wilson is certainly deserving of having a high school named for him, but the only reason a school in D.C. — where he has no real cultural connections — is choosing the name is because it's the same last name as Woodrow Wilson's.

+1, lazy decision. They should have picked someone with a connection to the city.

+2. I went to Wilson and would have loved to have seen it named for a woman (although I think that the views of current students should have held the most weight).

And the current students wanted them to name the school for Edna Jackson, the first black teacher there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wonderful news! So inspiring that my DC is attending a school named for a prominent artist, who documented American life in such a thoughtful, monumental way.

+1

Great choice. DCPS does not have millions of dollars right now to spend on sign changes and the school was right not to wait any longer. Does August Wilson have a connection to DC? No. But my DCPS kids have read his works at both Deal and Wilson. He is a legendary American artist and one that kids of all backgrounds can be proud of.

Well done.

[Anonymous]

Marion Barry High?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marion Barry High?

Hahaha yes you're very clever -- perhaps you didn't realize that was an option when people voted on this, however?

[Anonymous]

Other Wilsons who should've been under consideration:

Rita Wilson
Russell Wilson
Ann & Nancy Wilson
Wilson Pickett
Flip Wilson
Mary Wilson
Brian Wilson

[Anonymous]

“Wilson for All”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at Wilson and could not care less about the name. I found funny that they had to look for another guy called Wilson instead of changing the name completely. I found the statement semi-dumb and kind of annoying when it says after years of work. I really think there are more important things, like assuring that all kids are well educated and ready to become adults who can go to college and find good jobs. I agree with the poster above, just give numbers and call it a day

I'm shocked that people don't think the name matters. Woodrow Wilson was a profound racist- he re-segregated the federal government after reconstruction and was a vocal proponent of the KKK. For students--particularly African-American students--of the school, the name change is a very good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly is wrong with it? Seems like the best choice. Do you want every item with Wilson on it to be thrown into a land fill? We are in the middle of a climate emergency in case you hadn’t noticed.

+100

We really need to change our thinking as a country around reducing waste. August Wilson is a worthy person with impressive accomplishments, why throw out everything Wilson and then also spend the money are resources creating new materials? Great decision on many fronts!

+10000

Totally agree. Some people will criticize literally anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would’ve preferred a person who had a connection to DC- I liked the idea of John Wilson.

Edna Jackson would be perfect! First Black teacher at the school and a woman.

It's the fame amount of effort to change the name from "Woodrow Wilson" to "August Wilson" as it is any other name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a cop-out designed to make the name change as minimally disruptive as possible. I actually had joked that they'd propose this before they even came out with the list of possible names, only to find the joke was on me when August Wilson was on it.

August Wilson is certainly deserving of having a high school named for him, but the only reason a school in D.C. — where he has no real cultural connections — is choosing the name is because it's the same last name as Woodrow Wilson's.

+1, lazy decision. They should have picked someone with a connection to the city.

+2. I went to Wilson and would have loved to have seen it named for a woman (although I think that the views of current students should have held the most weight).

And the current students wanted them to name the school for Edna Jackson, the first black teacher there!

+infinity ♾ #EdnaJacksonHS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would’ve preferred a person who had a connection to DC- I liked the idea of John Wilson.

Edna Jackson would be perfect! First Black teacher at the school and a woman.

It's the fame amount of effort to change the name from "Woodrow Wilson" to "August Wilson" as it is any other name.

I supported Edna Jackson (and wished they had gone with John Wilson rather than August, if they had to stick with Wilson), but this is not true. Think about sports uniforms—they say “Wilson,” not “Woodrow Wilson,” so they don’t need to be replaced. The full name of the school isn’t used all that often. As much as I would LOVE to have seen Edna Jackson HS, I do see the wisdom, from a cost and waste perspective, of retaining Wilson.

[Anonymous]

It's an ignorant and lazy decision. Anyone who's read or seen August Wilson's plays knows that his body of work is devoted to his beloved city of Pittsburgh.

If naming the school "August Wilson" was a matter of finances--so they would not have to replace everything reading "Wilson" at the school--DCPS should just say so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What exactly is wrong with it? Seems like the best choice. Do you want every item with Wilson on it to be thrown into a land fill? We are in the middle of a climate emergency in case you hadn’t noticed.

+100

We really need to change our thinking as a country around reducing waste. August Wilson is a worthy person with impressive accomplishments, why throw out everything Wilson and then also spend the money are resources creating new materials? Great decision on many fronts!

Wow. Now y'all want to avoid waste and save a few bucks? Why not just save the current Wilson letterhead and swag by storing it in the EMPTY $50ml GDS building. Then reuse it for the new, uncrowded high school and call it "[Anybody Black] Wilson".

Changing the name digitally costs next to nothing. Schools can use logo and printed items until they run out. Better yet, have students upcycle logo items for community service hours that fight climate change. Use team uniforms (which would get replaced eventually anyway) to make a quilted banner for the sign. Whatever it is, let students create the legacy.

Swapping Woodrow for August to save a few bucks is just lazy blackfishing using eco-friendly blackface.