General Stonewall Jackson and Commander Turner Ashby, both from the Confederate Army, are the combatants honored
The board of education of Shenandoah County, Virginia (USA), annulled this Friday (May 10, 2024) a 2020 decision that removed the names of pro-slavery military personnel from two schools. With the annulment, Mountain View High School will revert to Stonewall Jackson High, and Honey Run Elementary School will resume the name Ashby Lee Elementary. The information is from Reuters.
The vote, which resulted 5 to 1, positioned the district, mostly white and Republican, as the 1st in the USA to adopt such action since the beginning of movements that began after the death of George Floyd, in 2020, for the removal of Confederate symbols from public places.
The names refer to prominent figures from the Confederate States of America, such as Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson and Turner Ashby, both pro-slavery military leaders during the United States Civil War.
The initiative to restore the names came from the Coalition for Better Schools, a local conservative group, which defended the “cultural meaning” and the “historical context” of names.
During the meeting leading up to the vote, local residents expressed support for restoring the names, arguing that they represent a significant aspect of the country’s Southern heritage.
However, critics of the decision see these symbols and names as vestiges of a racist ideology that maintains the “lost cause” of the Confederacy.
The co-leader of a group opposed to the change, Sarah Kohrs, said she was disappointed with the decision and defined it as a step backwards.
“This decision appears to be more an expression of revenge, control and hatred than of inheritance or due process.”he stated.
Source: https://www.poder360.com.br/internacional/escolas-nos-eua-voltam-a-usar-nomes-de-militares-pro-escravidao/
