Quicksburg, Virginia – In a move that has reignited a divisive debate in the small town of Quicksburg, the Shenandoah County School Board voted 5-1 to restore the Confederate names of two schools. The decision to return to the names Stonewall Jackson High and Ashby-Lee Elementary comes after a heated discussion that split the community.
After facing pressure from residents who deemed the 2020 name change unpopular, the school board’s rare reversal marks the United States’ first such U-turn on school names. The meeting drew a large crowd, with impassioned arguments presented by both supporters and opponents of the decision.
Following heightened racial tensions in 2020 spurred by the murder of George Floyd, Virginia and other states began removing Confederate statues and renaming public spaces. Then-Governor Ralph Northam called for the removal of school names and mascots honoring Confederate leaders or sympathizers.
In response to the governor’s directive, the Shenandoah County School Board initially renamed the schools Mountain View High and Honey Run Elementary in an effort to distance themselves from the legacy of Confederate generals Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and cavalry commander Turner Ashby.
However, critics of the renaming initiative argue that the decision was rushed and undemocratic. As a result of recent local elections, new board members have attempted to reinstate the schools’ Confederate names, citing support from the Coalition for Better Schools, which claims overwhelming community backing for the restoration.
Amidst growing tension, minority members of the community expressed concerns about the historical significance of the Confederate names, recalling a time when Stonewall Jackson High was a segregated “whites-only” school. The debate over the schools’ names reflects the broader conflict in Shenandoah County, a region with a rich but complex history rooted in its pro-slavery past during the Civil War.
As the community grapples with its past and present identity, the decision to revert to Confederate names for the two schools underscores the ongoing struggle to reconcile historical heritage with modern values of inclusivity and equality. The controversy surrounding the renaming process highlights the deep-seated divisions within the town and the broader societal challenges faced in addressing issues of race and identity.