A Virginia high school that was named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee will be renamed to honor the late U.S. Representative and civil rights icon John Lewis.
The Fairfax County School Board made the announcement on Thursday after a vote and said the name will be effective this fall.
Tamara Derenak Kaufax, who proposed the name change said:
The name Robert E. Lee is forever connected to the Confederacy, and Confederate values are ones that do not align with our community.
We heard from so many community members, students, and alumni about the amazing things that John Lewis did during his life. And I think many people would be proud to have that as the name of their school. I think it would be an honor for the community as well as I hope, the congressman’s family.
Sean Perryman, the president of the Fairfax County NAACP, took to Twitter to share the amazing news:
Y’all, we just renamed Robert E. Lee High School to John Lewis High School. When I was the education chair of @FairfaxNAACP in 2019, we were told we would never remove Lee from this community. We proved that we are this community. Step up and speak out, everyone!
Peep the tweet below.
Rep. John Lewis passed away on July 17, 2020, after a six-month battle with cancer. He was 80.
His legacy and good trouble will live on forever.
Source: CNN
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