November 12th 2023.
On November 9th, the Fairfax County School Board voted to rename W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax City, Virginia, to Carter G. Woodson High School, in honor of the pioneer of Black History Month. In 1962, the school had been named for W.T. Woodson, a noted segregationist.
The renaming process began after some students and parents expressed concern about W.T. Woodson's legacy. In 1959, Woodson had written in response to the "Brown v. Board of Education" ruling, “The order to desegregate schools is highly improper and infringes on human rights. To force integration of schools is to force social mixing, since attendance in public schools is usually compulsory.”
Fairfax County Public Schools have broad power to change the name of a school or facility, in order to create an inclusive or respectful environment. As noted by Patch, they have already changed the names of two high schools initially named for Confederate officers.
Elaine Tholen, the Fairfax County School Board Chair, expressed her joy at the renaming. She said, “What I really love about this perfect symmetry is the fact that Carter G. Woodson, not only was he a professor, got his PhD from Harvard, but he also was a school principal.”
Megan McLaughlin and Abrar Omeish led the public engagement process and presented the renaming measure. McLaughlin stated, “Through multiple community meetings, public hearings, and online feedback forms, we have engaged in rich discussion and gained a deeper understanding about our shared history.”
Abrar explained the importance of this renaming, saying, “One of the things that screams the loudest to me in this story is not only that we have to turn the tide and correct what’s been wrong, but that complicity is not OK.” Abrar noted that although W.T. Woodson was not a Confederate leader, his power and inaction enabled the wrongs of the past.
Abrar also discussed the importance of creating narratives that increase diversity. He said, “It’s meaningful that Carter G. Woodson, being considered the Father of Black History, someone who was a contributor to the idea of an African American History Month, that that solution is through education. I want us to take a moment to also appreciate what that requires. That resources and energies and blood, sweat and tears were spent to not only develop, but then to push forward and try to raise year, after year, after year, the importance of creating these narratives, so that a child in school’s first exposure to black people is not enslavement.”
The renaming of W.T. Woodson High School to Carter G. Woodson High School marks an important milestone in the effort to create an inclusive and respectful environment. This renaming, along with the renaming of other schools, serves to remind us of the importance of creating narratives that increase diversity and decrease complicity.
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