Ruth Bader Ginsburg, George Floyd among options for ‘Remember the Titans’ school’s new name
Students at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., have submitted more than 50 options as the school seeks a new name, among them naming it after notable individuals such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, George Floyd and even Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died following last week’s riots in Washington.
The Washingtonian reported Tuesday that a poll on renaming the school will open on Wednesday, and people will be able to vote or submit new names until Jan. 27.
Notable proposed school names include: George Floyd Memorial High School, Ruth Bader Ginsburg High School and Kamala Harris High School.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were also proposed to replace T.C. Williams, a known segregationist.
The school is best known for inspiring the 2000 football film “Remember the Titans;” Titan High School was among the proposed names.
Members of the school board voted unanimously in November to rename the school after something other than Williams, who was the superintendent of the Alexandria public school system for several decades beginning in the 1930s and opposed integrating schools after the landmark Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. the Board of Education.
“This is a historic moment for everybody,” current Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings Jr., who is Black, told reporters in November. “For many years, people have been trying to change the name of T.C. Williams, and they really have not been successful.”
Another poll is also open for renaming Matthew Maury Elementary School, named after a Confederate Navy commander, the Washingtonian reports. Some proposed names for it include Alexandria City Elementary School and Kobe Bryant Elementary School.
The decision to remove more names nationwide of those associated with slavery and racism comes after renewed Black Lives Matter protests arose in response to the police-involved killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain, among others.
The annual defense policy bill, which lawmakers passed by overriding a veto from President Trump, calls for the renaming of military bases named after Confederate officers.
And Mississippi on Tuesday hoisted its new state flag after removing one that featured a Confederate battle emblem. The new flag now features a white magnolia flower and references the Choctaw tribe with its symbolism.
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