© Provided by Washington Examiner Dallas education officials are preparing to rename three schools with Confederate namesakes to remove ties deemed racially insensitive.
The Dallas Independent School District proposed renaming John Ireland Elementary, Sidney Lanier Expressive Arts Vanguard, and John H. Reagan Elementary schools in which all namesakes have affiliations to the Confederacy.
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Several other institutions across the country have reconsidered or taken action to change the names of schools, public monuments, and infrastructure named for those with ties to the Confederacy, or with other historical connotations that might be offensive to people of color.
Trustees for the Dallas Independent School District voted in the aftermath of George Floyd's death to change the names of two schools associated with Confederate General Robert E. Lee and former President John Tyler due to him being a Virginia slave owner, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Robyn Harris, Dallas Independent School District's director of news and information, said the move is also reflective of the push for some of the schools to rebuild themselves as becoming specialized schools in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math.
"The community has also come forward at a few of these schools because there are some programmatic shifts that are happening, and it also aligns while revisiting some of the historical pieces of what the namesake means," Harris told the Washington Examiner.
The drive is largely made by community members who have spoken out to district leaders, but unlike past years, where renaming proposals have been made, there have been fewer opponents speaking out against the proposal, Harris added.
"I do believe that as there has been so many more discussions in our society and in our nation (it) has allowed for people to have a different perspective, so perhaps that's why there hasn't been as many to push back," Harris said. "I personally haven't been made known of those to say, 'We need to keep it.'"
The school named for Ireland, a Texas governor who volunteered for the Confederate army, could be renamed for Sylvia Mendez, a civil rights activist who played a role in a 1946 desegregation court case.
Reagan, a Confederate postmaster general and member of the second state Legislature, could be replaced as the Bishop Arts STEAM Academy.
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Jesús Moroles Expressive Arts Vanguard could replace the school named for Lanier, a poet and Confederate army volunteer. Moroles was a sculptor and a National Medal of Arts recipient who attended schools in the district, including Lanier Elementary.
The board is expected to vote on the changes March 25.
Tags: News, Dallas, confederate statues, Confederate Flag, Civil War, American Civil War, Texas, Schools, George Floyd, Race and Diversity
Original Author: Mica Soellner
Original Location: Dallas likely to rename three schools with Confederate namesakes