Gloucester and Mathews are as much a part of the present conversation about racial justice as every other locality in the nation. Locally, the topics center on vestiges of the Civil War, which ended 155 years ago.

Each county has a monument to the Confederate soldiers and sailors, erected more than 100 years ago, and Gloucester’s monument bears the names of those who did not come home. Mathews County has Lee-Jackson Elementary School. That name has been on a county school since 1916, although not until 1982 was it the lone elementary school in Mathews. Perhaps the name question should have been addressed then, or even earlier in 1969 when all schools in the county were desegregated. Efforts were made to change the name at other times, including a proposal in 1974 (see related story), but the name honoring the two Confederate military leaders remained.

Three years ago this paper called for more monuments, not fewer, stating that at the least each county could erect a structure to...