TACOMA, Wash. — Some people in Tacoma are calling for two schools to change names because of the racist history tied to their namesakes. School leaders and community members said the current names send the wrong message to youth and believe it is time to change the legacy of their schools.
The schools in question are Woodrow Wilson High School and Jason Lee Middle School. The issue was brought to the table at a recent Tacoma school board meeting.
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States and served from 1913 to 1921. He was also a segregationist and an open advocate of the Ku Klux Klan. Woodrow Wilson High School Principal Bernadette Ray has said it is unacceptable for their school to bear the name of a man who was a racist and segregationist.
Jason Lee Middle School is named after a man who, history shows, violently oppressed the native culture in the 19th century.
Ray and Christine Brandt, the principal of Jason Lee Middle School, are expected to give the school board a written report that includes their proposal and the community’s input on changing the names of the schools.
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But the community is already acting, mobilizing with petitions to get Tacoma Public Schools to change the names of the schools. One online petition is making the call to “rename and rebuild.”
Tacoma School Board Vice President Andrea Cobb said the issue is about values and being open to change.
"It's important to acknowledge that names signal values and the values that we hold are things that guide us in our decision making and how people get to show up in our community,” said Cobb. "I think despite the fact people might say that names are trivial I think that names matter."
Other leaders with the last name Wilson are being considered to help mitigate the costs of changing the name of the high school, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. Inspiring figures like Stephanie Wilson, an astronaut and the second Black woman to go to space, are being considered.
As for Jason Lee Middle School, their goal is to find a name that reflects a local leader.
In the meantime, the district superintendent praised both principals for volunteering to undergo what is expected to be a lengthy process.
