The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today decried renewed efforts to restore the confederate names of two Virginia schools.
Some Shenandoah County community members are seeking to change the names of Honey Run Elementary School and Mountain View High School to their original Confederate-themed names of Ashby Lee Elementary School and Stonewall Jackson High School, respectively. The names were changed in 2020, and the issue was revisited in 2022. Pro-Confederate name advocates are again trying to change the names back after a new school board was elected.
“It is disturbing that anyone would seek to have their children attend a school named after traitors who sought to divide our nation in support of slavery and white supremacy,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “We call on school board members to reject this renewed attempt to honor the ugly legacy of the Confederacy.”
He noted that in 2022, CAIR applauded a vote by the Shenandoah County School Board not to change the names of the two schools back to their previous, Confederate-inspired names.
Earlier this year, CAIR supported an effort to remove a Confederate painting from the Mississippi capitol building and welcomed the passage in the Virginia House and Senate of bill that would no longer allow “Sons of Confederate Veterans” and Robert E. Lee special license plates.
Hooper said Washington, D.C., based CAIR has repeatedly called for the removal of Confederate names, holidays, flags, statues, and symbols nationwide.
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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 Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com