SUCCESS! Byrd Middle School will be Renamed!
http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2016/mar/17/byrd-middle-school-get-name-change/
Our original post about the campaign:
When we read about grassroots campaign to change the name of Harry F. Byrd Jr. Middle School in Henrico County, Virginia, we cheered. "Why on earth should a school be named after someone who actively denied schoolchildren education?" This question is at the heart of high school senior Jordan Chapman's campaign. But the fact that this task can be taken on at all is at the heart of the changes we are witnessing and implementing across Richmond, Virginia and the South.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/michael-paul-williams/article_acaf818b-323e-5e25-a8c6-ba867c0204cc.html
http://wtvr.com/2016/03/10/henrico-board-unanimously-votes-to-rename-byrd-middle-school/
Henrico County School Board unanimously voted to change the name of Harry Flood Byrd Middle School, and the public has 30 days to recommend an alternative name. There is a remarkable history involving the Vandervall family that originally owned the land the school was built upon and was heavily involved in education and the establishment of schools in the area. Advocates, including descendants of this family and former students, are now asking the public to (in our word) reclaim this school's more productive history and name it the Vandervall Middle School.
Henrico County School Board unanimously voted to change the name of Harry Flood Byrd Middle School, and the public has 30 days to recommend an alternative name. There is a remarkable history involving the Vandervall family that originally owned the land the school was built upon and was heavily involved in education and the establishment of schools in the area. Advocates, including descendants of this family and former students, are now asking the public to (in our word) reclaim this school's more productive history and name it the Vandervall Middle School.
Contact the Henrico County School Board before April 9th to:
- Recommend renaming Harry F Byrd Middle School to either Vandervall Middle School or Quioccasion Middle School
- AND, insist that the new school not be named after another Byrd family member! Apparently, as if they didn't actually understand why the name-change issue arose to begin with, some are suggesting another Byrd family name (or just all the Byrds) be substituted in order to save money on signage replacements.
- Email: dslargen@henrico.k12.va.us
- Telephone: (804) 652-3808 (business hours are Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
Our original post about the campaign:
When we read about grassroots campaign to change the name of Harry F. Byrd Jr. Middle School in Henrico County, Virginia, we cheered. "Why on earth should a school be named after someone who actively denied schoolchildren education?" This question is at the heart of high school senior Jordan Chapman's campaign. But the fact that this task can be taken on at all is at the heart of the changes we are witnessing and implementing across Richmond, Virginia and the South.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/michael-paul-williams/article_acaf818b-323e-5e25-a8c6-ba867c0204cc.html