Editor, Gazette-Journal:

As a retired public school educator and elementary school principal, I feel compelled to add my voice to the many Mathews County citizens who have voiced their concerns regarding the name of our one-and-only elementary school, Lee-Jackson Elementary School.

The arguments concerning history, and the often-pervasive views regarding change in Mathews County, do not seem to account for how the daily, often casual repetition of a school’s name repeats the most violent parts of our history.

Repeating the school’s name, Lee-Jackson, with friends, family and neighbors risks becoming meaningless; their ubiquity negating the horrors that Black people and other people of color have experienced in this county/country.

It’s time to honor those who made a positive difference in our community rather than honoring those who perpetuated white supremacy. While renaming Lee-Jackson is not a replacement for justice, it can be a part of it. It will make ALL students fe...