Aug 30, 2017

New target: Confederate school names

A pedestal wrapped in plastic that had held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee which was removed from the University of Texas campus. Eric Gay / AP

"With a new school year dawning, education officials are grappling with whether to remove the names, images and statues of Confederate figures from public schools — especially since some are now filled with students of color," per AP's Jesse Holland, who covers race and ethnicity:

  • "[T]here are at least 109 public schools named after Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis or other Confederate icons in the United States," mostly in the South.
  • "In Arlington, Virginia, Robert E. Lee's hometown, ... there has been some talk ... at Washington-Lee High School about possibly changing Robert E. Lee out of the school name..."
  • "In Montgomery, Alabama, the school board is looking at moving Lee's statue from the front of majority-black Robert E. Lee High School."

"Changing a school's name is not cheap. In Oklahoma City, ... it could be $50,000 or more to change signage, letterhead, business cards and more for each school."

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