As the world mourns the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many others at the hands of white vigilantes and police, countless numbers of people have poured into the streets across the nation to declare that “Black Lives Matter” and are indeed worthy of dignity and respect. We echo the sentiment that Black lives matter and we maintain that they matter in every respect, especially in the public schools entrusted with our children’s education.
Now more than ever, it is clear that the discrimination endured by African American students is having very real and devastating consequences across this nation. African American students at Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School confront everyday messages from the schools that they are less worthy than their white counterparts. These messages are harmful. By naming Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School in response to efforts to desegregate Hanover County Public Schools more than half a century ago, and by refusing to change those names now, Hanover County has created and reinforced a school environment that is hostile to African American students and antithetical to the values of morality and equality. Maintaining names that were adopted for the stated purpose of honoring and celebrating the Confederacy is unconscionable and cements an unequal educational environment for African American students. School and government officials, including the VA Secretary of Education, have encouraged the school district leaders to change the names of schools honoring the Confederacy. It is beyond time for Hanover County to do the same. Our voices must be heard, not ignored, and we will not rest until the school names have been changed.
In the continued pursuit of justice and to ensure that all students, regardless of race, have access to an equal education in the Hanover County school system, the Hanover County Branch of the NAACP, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, and Covington & Burling have initiated steps to appeal the District Court’s dismissal of our lawsuit against the Hanover County School Board. We firmly believe that we are on the right side of the law and on the right side of history. The time for paying lip service to equality in our schools has passed. The time to change the names is now.
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