Hanover School Board votes to change names of schools named after Confederate leaders
HANOVER, Va. (WWBT) - The Hanover County Public School Board has voted to change the names of the schools named after Confederate generals.
Tuesday night, the Hanover County School Coard voted 4-3 in favor of renaming Lee-Davis High School and Stonewall Jackson Middle School on Mechanicsville Turnpike. It also includes changing the school mascots.
The board heard an hour of comments read out loud by the clerk during the virtual meeting. While there were people who asked the board to not change the name, the comments were overwhelmingly in favor of the move.
“We have gone to the point of trying to remove the word ‘Confederates’ and the word ‘rebels’ from the majority of our - if not all - of our athletic uniforms. Most of our places throughout the building. So we ourselves have acknowledged that issue,” board member Robert Hundley Jr. said.
“Their actions have made their names and images enduring symbols of the enslavement of Black Americans. Later generations made choices to reinforce this narrative,” board member Sterling Daniel said.
The school board will follow the process used for naming new schools which involves public input. However, the school board gets the final say on new school names and mascots.
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