Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why didn't they want Peace Valley?

Listening to the discussion (which hardly mentioned PV at all), it seemed like the energy was to advocate for identity honors.... a black man, a black woman, a hispanic man. The "gotta get my group recognized" seemed to be carrying the day. We are NOT a post-racial county. Clearly. If people could be objective, they would go for something neutral like Peace Valley. But, people can't be objective b/c they are trying to win one for ______ team.

Anonymous wrote:Why didn't they want Peace Valley?

Anonymous wrote:The public voted for stuart

Anonymous wrote:

Would Schultz have still supported Mendez if she'd had enough votes for her motion to pass? Just asking. She's quite good at working the system to make it seem like she's advocating for things she knows won't happen.

Yes, she would have. Did you listen to her speech? McLaughlin was the one who wanted to pursue it, but had to leave town. Schultz met with the family (I don't know if it was in person or on the phone.)

This is the problem: you don't think that people who disagree with you can also have good ideas. I don't think she advocates for things she does not wish to pass. She advocates and always gets shut down.

All along, she has supported the process on this issue. Her foes kept changing the process. Had this been done properly, there would have been less divisiveness.
The people who spoke to the process issue were speaking truth to power. In this case, the SB kept changing the process to get the desired results. At every step, it did not work.

What they should have done was come forward initially and said that they needed to change the name. Then, moved forward with the name change. Instead, they went to the community to get the power to change the name--and the community rejected it. So, they voted that it was necessary to change it. The whole process was a lie. Anyone who has watched it knows this.
People might not have liked changing the name, but had they been honest with their intentions from the start, the pain would have been over long ago. Instead, they tried to pretend that it was up to the community. It was never up to the community.

Would Schultz have still supported Mendez if she'd had enough votes for her motion to pass? Just asking. She's quite good at working the system to make it seem like she's advocating for things she knows won't happen.

Anonymous wrote:

I agree we couldn't have two Marshall HS close to one another, but when you come up with a list of specious reasons to discount various names, such as Johns and Mendez, it really does come across as if you're just looking for an excuse to preserve a status quo that, in too many instances, honors white men who fought for a despicable cause.

If you don't think the issue with the Barbara Johns name was a problem, then you really do not know teenagers very well.

And, what were the specious complaints against Mendez? I thought that was a great choice. A member of the community who led a remarkable life of service. I was shocked when the far left of our SB all turned him down.
Was it because it was not their idea or was it because it had to reflect an African American Civil Rights leader?

I think that Evans was under pressure to come up with something for the African Americans--not all people of color. Had there not been another Marshall, Thurgood Marshall would have been a terrific choice, but the people who wanted TG never admitted that two Marshall High Schools would be a problem.

And, there people, you have "identity politics."

The obvious answer was staring them in the face. It was a name that could have brought all sorts of learning experiences and joy to the kids. Sad that our SB members are so short-sighted. Maybe it was because it was a motion made by Schultz.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's about time Sheriff Buford T. Justice received this justly-due recognition.

I hope Bandit is the name of the next high school built.

I agree we couldn't have two Marshall HS close to one another, but when you come up with a list of specious reasons to discount various names, such as Johns and Mendez, it really does come across as if you're just looking for an excuse to preserve a status quo that, in too many instances, honors white men who fought for a despicable cause.

Anonymous wrote:It's about time Sheriff Buford T. Justice received this justly-due recognition.

Anonymous wrote:

I still don't know why no one pushed for Peace Valley other than a strong desire to keep pursuing identity politics with school names.

And, that is the really sad thing about this whole process.

1. Most students could not have cared less who the school was named after. They just did not want to change the name.
2. Sadly, while changing the name might be the "right" thing to do, it is not going to make a difference in the education of those students. It may make some of them feel better, but it really won't change things.
3. It has encouraged racism to raise its ugly head and encouraged divisiveness.
4. When we name institutions BECAUSE of their color, it leads to some ridiculous choices. When Mr. Moon said he'd love to see a school named after an Asian American, that's fine, but it does not mean anything. It's only a name.
5. Names should always be brainstormed and tested before presented as the selection: for example, we already have a Marshall High; Barbara Johns High has some unfortunate connotations; Mendez was a last minute consideration; Justice High is the name of some juvenile facilities; a chain of stores; Just-ICE (which is really too bad considering the demographics of this school).

They spent all that time on deciding whether to change the name and, yet, could not come up with a decent name.

The process was ridiculous. Way too many suggestions. Good grief, even the primaries have run-offs when there is not a 50% winner. But, Marshall should never have been in the mix.

I still don't know why no one pushed for Peace Valley other than a strong desire to keep pursuing identity politics with school names.

Anonymous wrote:Karen Keys-Gamarra tried on the fly last night to make it explicit that Justice was only shorthand for Justice Thurgood Marshall, and got shot down. Not an auspicious start and she seriously pissed off people who'd been told it would also honor Johns and Mendez. It also looked like she was relying on the student rep throughout the night to explain things to her.