In a controversial decision, the Shenandoah County School Board in Virginia voted 5-1 to rename two schools after Confederate leaders, just four years after the names were removed.
Gene Kilby, the son of civil rights activist James Wilson Kilby, weighed in:
“My first experience with Confederate sympathizers was in the year of 1958. I was seven years old. They poisoned a family dog, shot through our home, mutilated our livestock, and left bloody sheets on the mailbox. Is this the type of legacy that you want?”
The reversal has sparked intense debate. Supporters claim they are preserving their heritage, while opponents see it as a step back into a racist past.
The schools in question were previously named for Confederate generals Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Turner Ashby until 2020. The cost of the renaming could potentially exceed $300,000, which the board says will be paid for by private donation.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
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