A Virginia high school named after Confederate War General Robert E. Lee will be renamed to honor the late civil rights icon, Representative John Lewis.
The Fairfax County School Board voted in favor of the change that will take effect for the 2020-21 school year, according to an announcement Thursday. Board members in the suburban district of Washington DC voted on June 23 to change the name of the school, but had been deliberating on a new name for the past few weeks.
Board President Ricardy Anderson said in a statement that the district wanted to choose a name that reflected the school’s multiculturalism after students, staff, and the community raised concerns about the old name.
“Reps. Lewis was an advocate for the Civil Rights movement, and our Board firmly believes this is an appropriate tribute to an individual who is a true American hero,” said Anderson. “We will also honor his life’s work by continuing to promote fairness, justice, tolerance and service in the work we do.”
Lewis died Friday at age 80 after a month-long battle with cancer. The veteran Georgia congressman announced in late December that he was receiving treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
The civil rights legend was the last surviving speaker from March 1963 in Washington, but Lewis was possibly best known for helping lead a group of approximately 600 across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965. Lewis suffered a skull fracture after being hit by Alabama state police on what has since been known as “Bloody Sunday.”
The decision comes amid revived talks about long-standing racial inequalities in the country and weeks of protests and marches to disrupt systemic racism in institutions that have marginalized African-Americans.
Activists and politicians have called to tear down monuments and dedications to Confederate generals across the country.
One of the board members who proposed the name change, Tamara Derenak Kaufax, said in the statement Thursday that Confederate values ”do not align with our community.”
“Our schools should be places where all students, staff, and community members feel safe and supported,” said Kaufax. “I believe that John Lewis’s extraordinary life and advocacy for racial justice will inspire our students and the community for future generations.”
