The NAACP files a lawsuit against the Virginia school board for reinstating the usage of Confederate names for schools.
At a press conference, the NAACP Virginia State Conference President, the Rev. Cozy Bailey, criticized the Shenandoah County School Board for reviving the spirits of the Jim Crow era by commemorating traitors every time a student entered their schools. The board's decision to reinstate the Confederate names and mascots has been challenged in a lawsuit that demands them to remove these references and declare the violation of the Constitution. All six school board members and the superintendent of Shenandoah County Public Schools were contacted by CNN, seeking comments.
The legal action asserts that making Black students attend schools named after Confederate leaders breaches their constitutional rights. The lawsuit states, "Plaintiffs bring this case to address the creation and upkeep of a discriminatory atmosphere that erodes their right to acquire an education and to be relieved from compelled speech they deem repulsive." It further argues that "Requiring Plaintiffs to attend schools labelled after prominent Confederacy members and forcing Plaintiffs to identify as members of the Stonewall Jackson 'Generals' infringes upon Plaintiffs’ rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act."
Briana Brown, a 12th-grader at the Massanutten Regional Governor’s School lodged at Mountain View High School, is one of the plaintiffs directly impacted by the school board's decision. "When I learned about the school board's decision, I felt out of place in a place I visit daily, which shouldn't happen," Brown stated at the news conference. "This decision made me understand that I have to speak out about my beliefs and encourage others to use their voice for positive change. I no longer want to be scared."
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Marja Plater, an NCAA attorney and senior counsel with Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, expressed concern over the impact of this racism on the children. "A Black high schooler desiring to play on the soccer crew must wear the Stonewall Jackson 'Generals' jersey. The student must respect a Confederate leader who battled to maintain Black people as slaves," she commented. "Subjecting children to persistent racism and hate damages their self-esteem and long-term wellbeing."
On May 9, the school board made a 5-1 decision to restore the names Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School. The names honor Generals Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Turner Ashby. The schools have been known as Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School since July 2021, as per board records.
At the time of the vote, several board members rebuked the previous way the names were modified. Board member Thomas Streett, who voted in favour of reinstating the names, deemed it a "knee-jerk response" with insufficient community engagement. Board member Gloria E. Carlineo informed CNN that their choice didn't concern race. Instead, she said, it was about doing things properly.
Regarding Bailey's stance, he asserted, "I spoke about not changing history. Anybody who claims we can eliminate a discussion about race when we discuss social justice in this country, they're the ones who are attempting to alter history."
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The NAACP lawsuit against the Virginia school board involves the rights of "us", the Black students, as it alleges that attending schools named after Confederate leaders breaches their constitutional rights. This legal action further contends that the requirement for Black students to identify with Confederate mascots, such as the 'Stonewall Jackson Generals', infringes upon their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
