Changing a Name doesn't Break your Memories
My high school is changing its name.
Recently, the Washington Post announced that my high school Wilbert Tucker Woodson, a. k. a. WTW is changing its name.
I grew up knowing I would go to W. T. Woodson High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. Mantua, when I lived there, was a middle class neighborhood nestled between 236, Rt 50, Prosperity Ave, and Pickett Road. The families in this neighborhood were mostly Federal employees or Federal related. It was very convenient to DC and offered nice homes on wooded lots.
Kids in Mantua moved from Mantua Elementary, to Robert Frost Middle School, and on to Woodson High School.
When my parents bought in that neighborhood, they did so specifically for the schools we would attend. My mom often stated that she would never send her kids to a school that perpetuated civil war tropes. No “rebels” no civil war generals, nothing that was okay with the concept that groups of people have the right to rule over others.
When the discussions started on my Alumni Facebook page, there was a lot of hand wringing and discussions of how they “can’t imagine” seeing a different name on their old high school.
All I can say is, the name of the school doesn’t change the experiences you had there.
My brothers and I all attended Woodson. All in all, our family attended WTW from 1980 to 1987. The two of us younger siblings played varsity sports, and participated with the school for all four years. I attended from 1983 to 1987. Even then I heard some grumblings of how Wilbert Tucker Woodson was anti-integration.
My question is…How does the school name hurt you? How does moving away from honoring someone who actively opposed integration, and his justification was out of the priviledge playbook stating that families should be able to choose who their children socialize with in school, change your high school experience?
Public education is a cornerstone of any community. It is the essence of inclusivity. It brings together diverse individuals from our neighborhoods, providing a unique opportunities to interact with people of different backgrounds, even those we might not always agree with.
Mark Twain's wisdom aptly reminds us that travel breaks down prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Likewise, education is a journey, a path we embark upon as children. It exposes us to new, initially unfamiliar concepts, and as we grasp them, we expand our horizons.
Embracing diversity in our educational experience fosters resilience. It teaches us to look beyond our own perspectives and biases, cultivating broader, more compassionate outlooks on humanity and the world around us.
Public education, in its very essence, encourages us to grow, learn, and thrive together as a unified community.
Regardless of the name of the school, where I completed my high school education, my experiences will endure. These include the cherished moments, the challenging days, the lessons learned, and the victories achieved. These memories, not the school name, are an integral part of who I am and have contributed to my growth and development.
It is fair to reevaluate who we are honoring with their names on buildings. Every generation learns from the lessons of the past. Clearly, Wilbert Tucker Woodson had the Virginia, post Civil War, attitude built from his privilege and experiences.
This is a good thing. We are reckoning with the challenges of this long serving superintendent. We understand and acknowledge the problematic attitudes of the past and honor that we have learned much since. From here, we can let go of a name moving toward a more inclusive and equitable future. The Wilbert Tucker Woodson name had its time. He was honored with his name on a high school for over 50 years. Now it is time for a new name and an new era.