FCCPS votes to change the names of George Mason and Thomas Jefferson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd urge people to watch the video of the meeting and listen to the board members' statements on their decision before making criticism. None of us had to listen to the public testimony and hear from people of color explain how they feel sending their kid to a school named after a slaveholder. Most board members made a distinction between memorials and universities and mandatory public education that kids are required to go to.

I was impressed with the way they handled the issue and gave it serious thought.

And for those that asked why now? The answer is that with a new high school, it is cheaper and easier to change the name now rather than later before all the signage gets built.

Are they going to change street names, too? Washington Blvd runs through Falls Church City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in FCC, my kids go to FCCPS, and will go to TJ soon. I am thrilled that they do not need to go to school in a building that revered a man who raped a 14 year old girl, had 6 children by her and refused to even free them. It's sickening. I'm thrilled that voices of black people in our community were heard. The board was clear that this is not about historical contributions but about about our values.

Right, your values where you live a city that actively drew its boundaries to keep black people and other minorities out of your city. Go away, everyone knows is virtue signaling and nothing more. You don't care about black people. If you did, you wouldn't live in a racist city. People like you are disgusting.

Wow. That was uncalled for. I'm a different poster but I assume this person did not personally change the boundaries, and possibly (or even likely) did not know that history when they moved there. Now there, they are supporting efforts to make incremental changes so others feel more welcome in the community. What is disgusting about that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCC can do what it wants with its school names. Everyone else still knows it's a largely segregated town that expressly redrew its boundaries to exclude Black people.

+100

No, it didn't. Ugh, just stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCC can do what it wants with its school names. Everyone else still knows it's a largely segregated town that expressly redrew its boundaries to exclude Black people.

+100

No, it didn't. Ugh, just stop.

Yes, it did. Study your local history, snowflake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCC can do what it wants with its school names. Everyone else still knows it's a largely segregated town that expressly redrew its boundaries to exclude Black people.

+100

So what would you suggest they do to right that wrong? (Note from above: acquiring a chunk of Fairfax County is not a feasible solution)

FCC could send the county a check for reparations that the county could apply towards the upcoming renovation of Falls Church HS (the retroceded part of the former town of Falls Church is zoned for FCHS).

Through the 1990s didn't FCPS still own and operate the old (original) Falls Church HS building as a junior high school? It was in the Stuart HS pyramid and located on Cherry Street fully within the City of Falls Church. I think it was called Whittier. FCPS must have sold the property to the city (Falls Church) when the school finally closed for good. I wonder if some of the money from the sale went to capital projects for Stuart or other nearby FCPS schools? Upscale townhomes were built there on the old high school property about 15 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCC can do what it wants with its school names. Everyone else still knows it's a largely segregated town that expressly redrew its boundaries to exclude Black people.

+100

So what would you suggest they do to right that wrong? (Note from above: acquiring a chunk of Fairfax County is not a feasible solution)

FCC could send the county a check for reparations that the county could apply towards the upcoming renovation of Falls Church HS (the retroceded part of the former town of Falls Church is zoned for FCHS).

Through the 1990s didn't FCPS still own and operate the old (original) Falls Church HS building as a junior high school? It was in the Stuart HS pyramid and located on Cherry Street fully within the City of Falls Church. I think it was called Whittier. FCPS must have sold the property to the city (Falls Church) when the school finally closed for good. I wonder if some of the money from the sale went to capital projects for Stuart or other nearby FCPS schools? Upscale townhomes were built there on the old high school property about 15 years ago.

It wasn't quite that long. When FCC incorporated as an independent city, FCPS owned the Whittier site. They operated it as a jr high through 1984, when they closed it. It was leased to a private school (I'm blanking on the name) for about a decade. In 1994, as part of the Northern Virginia grad center agreement, Fairfax and FC swapped land and FC got the whittier site. FC pretty promptly sold it to a developer who built the townhomes.
I can remember being in the old school for basketball or something like that.