Petition to Change Names of Stuart and Lee HS

[Anonymous]

"However, I think that the fact that these schools were named after Confederate generals only when ordered to desegregate speaks volumes (I have not researched the timing of the naming, and am assuming the history explained in the petition is accurate). These schools were not named to honor the Confederate generals. They were named to signal, loudly, to black students and their parents that they were not welcome, and to deter them from attending. And it was probably at least somewhat effective. It would take a brave parent to send a black child to a school that had just been renamed after a Confederate general. I wouldn't be able to put my kid in the middle of that s*&%storm.

I don't think that aspect of history should be erased - in fact, I think it should be more widely known that so many institutions took such indirect steps to maintain segregation. But there is a difference between whitewashing history and preserving a name meant to intimidate and scare. "

This exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why in the world would we want our public institutions to be named after people who committed treason? Why don't we have a Tokyo Rose High School?

Whether they committed treason is still very much debatable. They did not declare war and they had clauses in their agreement to join the union which allowed them to secede.

[Anonymous]

Why don't we just sanitize everything and name things by number and color (except black white yellow and red). Read a few dystopian novels and you will see how that looks when taken to the extreme. It is always a good idea to completely paper over history so that we can repeat it. I think we should rename New York to whatever it was called by the Native Americans before they were all kicked out by the Europeans. Maybe it was Manhattan. Fine--rename it. No more NYC.

Or, let's get outraged by names on schools and pass around petitions but put our heads in the sand about the fact that our country is under attach by radical Islam. Seriously--isn't that a more important issue today. Yes, Lee was on the losing side but it was a part of American HISTORY! Should we just sanitize all of that away. Ok then, I don't want to hear about slavery at all because we are pretending it all didn't happen. DOn't want to make people uncomfortable. That is the goal, right? To avoid offending? Well I get offended when crazies from the Middle East kill our Marines and we call it "domestic terror" and our President wishes muslims a happy end to Ramadan on that very day! What is going on?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"However, I think that the fact that these schools were named after Confederate generals only when ordered to desegregate speaks volumes (I have not researched the timing of the naming, and am assuming the history explained in the petition is accurate). These schools were not named to honor the Confederate generals. They were named to signal, loudly, to black students and their parents that they were not welcome, and to deter them from attending. And it was probably at least somewhat effective. It would take a brave parent to send a black child to a school that had just been renamed after a Confederate general. I wouldn't be able to put my kid in the middle of that s*&%storm.

I don't think that aspect of history should be erased - in fact, I think it should be more widely known that so many institutions took such indirect steps to maintain segregation. But there is a difference between whitewashing history and preserving a name meant to intimidate and scare. "

This exactly.

Those who named the schools may have been the bad guys in all of this, but no one is being oppressed by the name on the outside of a building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why in the world would we want our public institutions to be named after people who committed treason? Why don't we have a Tokyo Rose High School?

Whether they committed treason is still very much debatable. They did not declare war and they had clauses in their agreement to join the union which allowed them to secede.

Debatable? Article 3.3 of the Constitution is pretty clear

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

I've not heard anyone doubt war was waged.......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why in the world would we want our public institutions to be named after people who committed treason? Why don't we have a Tokyo Rose High School?

Whether they committed treason is still very much debatable. They did not declare war and they had clauses in their agreement to join the union which allowed them to secede.

Debatable? Article 3.3 of the Constitution is pretty clear

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

I've not heard anyone doubt war was waged.......

By the Union, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't we just sanitize everything and name things by number and color (except black white yellow and red). Read a few dystopian novels and you will see how that looks when taken to the extreme. It is always a good idea to completely paper over history so that we can repeat it. I think we should rename New York to whatever it was called by the Native Americans before they were all kicked out by the Europeans. Maybe it was Manhattan. Fine--rename it. No more NYC.

Or, let's get outraged by names on schools and pass around petitions but put our heads in the sand about the fact that our country is under attach by radical Islam. Seriously--isn't that a more important issue today. Yes, Lee was on the losing side but it was a part of American HISTORY! Should we just sanitize all of that away. Ok then, I don't want to hear about slavery at all because we are pretending it all didn't happen. DOn't want to make people uncomfortable. That is the goal, right? To avoid offending? Well I get offended when crazies from the Middle East kill our Marines and we call it "domestic terror" and our President wishes muslims a happy end to Ramadan on that very day! What is going on?!

What a bunch of babble. These schools weren't teaching black students about why they were named after Confederate generals. The names just perpetuate a false narrative that these men deserve to be honored because they were good tactical officers on a battlefield, which could be said of any number of Nazi military leaders or ISIS operatives whom we wisely choose not to honor. The word on the street is that Stuart will be renamed after Thurgood Marshall, who lived in a nearby part of Falls Church zoned for the school.

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't make sense to have 2 Marshall high schools though

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"However, I think that the fact that these schools were named after Confederate generals only when ordered to desegregate speaks volumes (I have not researched the timing of the naming, and am assuming the history explained in the petition is accurate). These schools were not named to honor the Confederate generals. They were named to signal, loudly, to black students and their parents that they were not welcome, and to deter them from attending. And it was probably at least somewhat effective. It would take a brave parent to send a black child to a school that had just been renamed after a Confederate general. I wouldn't be able to put my kid in the middle of that s*&%storm.

I don't think that aspect of history should be erased - in fact, I think it should be more widely known that so many institutions took such indirect steps to maintain segregation. But there is a difference between whitewashing history and preserving a name meant to intimidate and scare. "

This exactly.

Those who named the schools may have been the bad guys in all of this, but no one is being oppressed by the name on the outside of a building.

Completely wrong. It is oppressive to attend a school named after someone who fought to keep your ancestors enslaved. If you don't get that, you really need to check your privilege before you post again on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It wouldn't make sense to have 2 Marshall high schools though

GCM and TM. Put your big boy pants on and stop making phony arguments against an overdue name change.

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't make sense to have 2 Marshall high schools though

Excellent point. Glad someone had sense enough to bring it up.

So, just for starters, let's see what will have to be changed:

signs
stationary
sports uniforms
transcripts? anyone thought of that? all the different paperwork that may be affected? Even things like the test scores from past years. Someone has got to coordinate and program all that stuff.

Applications to colleges will be affected. If you take a gap year, do you put down the old name or the new name?

Come on, there must be tons of unintended consequences here.

Anyone have any idea how much all of this will cost? Two schools--or three? I'm saying the expense will be at least 1million.



What about past senior gifts that have the school's name on them? Are we going to change those? Feel free to add to the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It wouldn't make sense to have 2 Marshall high schools though

GCM and TM. Put your big boy pants on and stop making phony arguments against an overdue name change.

I'm for changing the names, and Thurgood Marshall is a good choice. I just think it's impractical to have two Marshall HS.

[Anonymous]

GCM and TM. Put your big boy pants on and stop making phony arguments against an overdue name change.

Just trying to think of how many kids I know who have told me that they go to George Marshall High School..........

So, let's just drop the Robert E. off of Lee High School: problem solved. Name it Light Horse Henry Lee.

Now, for Stuart, I'm sure there is a better name, but we could name it after Gilbert Stuart--the portrait painter of Washington.

Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

I'm for changing the names, and Thurgood Marshall is a good choice. I just think it's impractical to have two Marshall HS.

I agree. It would be a stupid decision. That ensures the School Board will vote for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

GCM and TM. Put your big boy pants on and stop making phony arguments against an overdue name change.

Just trying to think of how many kids I know who have told me that they go to George Marshall High School..........

So, let's just drop the Robert E. off of Lee High School: problem solved. Name it Light Horse Henry Lee.

Now, for Stuart, I'm sure there is a better name, but we could name it after Gilbert Stuart--the portrait painter of Washington.

Problem solved.

Obviously there weren't two Marshall Highs before so it wasn't an issue. I predict the kids will say they either go to GCM or Thurgood. It doesn't seem like a big deal, and worth it if we can dispense with the Confederate names.