Why is a public school still named for the architect of the
Massive Resistance movement against desegregation? Photo © 2016 Anne-Marie Leake
Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this long-overdue change!
- From the Rename Byrd Leadership Team: Anne-Marie Leake, Jordan Chapman, Amy Chapman, Melissa McKenney, Liz Farber, Rob Voorhis, Kathy DeShazo-Jackson, Paula Chambers, and Patricia Dodson |
QUIOCCASIN MIDDLE SCHOOL
IS OFFICIAL! "If we can organize the Southern States for massive resistance to this order, I think that in time the rest of the country will realize that racial integration is not going to be accepted in the South."
Those are the words of United States Senator Harry Flood Byrd, voicing his condemnation of the US Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. Byrd's actions resulted in the closure of some public school systems in Virginia between 1959 and 1964, most notably a five-year gap in public education in Prince Edward Country, Virginia. Harry Flood Byrd Middle School in western Henrico County, Virginia, opened in 1971 and was named posthumously for Senator Byrd. In 2015, our wonderfully diverse school boasts a 50% minority student population. It is time to realign the name of our school with the 21st century values that are instilled in its students. |
In the newsClick below to follow the television
and press coverage of this issue, and to view video from School Board meetings. |
join the movementClick below to access the online petition,
to link to our social media channels, to email the School Board, and more! |
LEARN MOREClick below for links to other sites and articles
addressing the history and impact of Massive Resistance and segregation. |