(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/14/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today supported Virginia’s Loudoun County school board consideration of changes of names for 10 schools, the names of which have Confederate or segregationist ties.
That list of names, recommended by Thomas Balch Library Black History Committee and compiled by History Matters, presented 10 schools to the board for consideration and suggested renaming two of them. The committee said some of the school names have “direct association with the enslavement of people, Daughters of the Confederacy, the Lost Cause, and the American Colonization Society.” School board members are expected to discuss the issue on Oct. 25.
SEE: Loudoun Co. School Board Reviews 10 Schools’ Names Over Confederate or Segregationist Ties
Racial reckoning: LCPS to mull renaming schools with names tied to slavery, Confederacy
“The naming of schools should honor those who contributed to the betterment of society, not those who sought to divide us and destroy our nation,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
Hooper added that CAIR this week welcomed a vote by the Culpeper Town Council in Virginia to change the name of its main reservoir, which was named after a Confederate artillery officer.
He noted that Washington, D.C., based CAIR has repeatedly called for the removal of Confederate holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com