Grady must “usher in a new legacy”

In an effort to convey my thoughts, I found myself stuck between what I know to be true and attempting to understand someone’s miseducation of race history.

What we’ve been conditioned to accept are the small reminders of our ugly past, reminders hiding behind street designations, pictures on dollar bills, school names. Those who don’t understand this only see their memories and emotional connection to our school name. We are our school. We are our memories. We are our achievements. We come from different walks of life. We represent various cultures. Our school name should reflect that.

Many have read the excerpt from Henry W. Grady’s 1889 speech stating that white supremacy must be maintained forever. What others may not know are the several lighthearted headlines and articles mocking and encouraging lynchings of black people during his editorship of the Atlanta Constitution: “The Triple Trapeze: Three Negroes Hung to a Limb of a Tree.”, “Two Minutes to Pray Before a Rope Dislocated Their Vertebrae.” and “Lynching Too Good For the Black Miscreant Who Assaulted Mrs. Bush: He Will Be Lynched.”

Should a person with this history be honored? Should these acts that likely resulted in the deaths of innocent people be overlooked? A more fitting question may be how can these acts be overlooked? Should this legacy be preserved or is it time to usher in a legacy of a higher standard that all alumni, current and future students can proudly represent?

Now is a time to come together to create a new narrative which addresses inequalities in several areas of our educational system. We must start here. We ask for your support in the changing of our school name. As we live through yet another movement centered around racial equality, choose to use your voice for virtuous change. A school name is only the surface of the needed shift towards atonement.