T.C. Williams High School, well known for its prominent role in the popular Disney film “Remember The Titans”, could soon be renamed as “Kamala Harris High School.”
In November, the Alexandria City School Board voted unanimously to remove Williams’ name due to his support of segregation while serving as superintendent of the Alexandria, VA, school system. According to the school, Williams was a “staunch segregationist whose views could not have been more inconsistent with the vibrant, diverse and inclusive place we know today.”
Now, students are being offered the chance to vote on a replacement name through an online poll on the school’s website. Included among the options for students to choose from is “Kamala Harris High School.”
As of Friday, other options for the students to choose from included “George Floyd Memorial High School” and “Ruth Bader Ginsburg High School,” with the school board reportedly planning on narrowing down the list to six finalists by April.
The Board also announced plans to change the name of Matthew Maury Elementary School, whose namesake was a Confederate naval officer widely considered to be the founder of modern oceanography.
The decision comes after a year of racial unrest following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police.
Following nationwide protests and riots led by the Black Lives Matter movement, a growing number of government buildings — both at the federal and state level — have been renamed, replacing segregationists, Confederate leaders, and others now deemed unworthy of such an honor.
The name change, set to take effect at the start of the 2021 fall semester, will reportedly cost the school district $330,000.