Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Mathews High School has been tarnished.

This letter is in response to Carol Bova’s letter (“A blatant political maneuver,” July 1 Readers Write). I agree.

I no longer feel safe in the high school setting after the Black Panthers showed up at a school board meeting. Every time I see Mathews High School, it brings up memories of the fear and intimidation I felt with them, in their military stance, lined up across the back of the high school auditorium.

As I told Mike Rowe, chairman of the BOS, you don’t need a gun to cause harm, fear and intimidation. I will never feel safe in this auditorium again.

How dare anyone bring this group into our peaceful community. This was done to change the name of a school, the school that had the highest SOL scores of the three schools in Mathews County. Keep in mind that we have a school named after a former black slave. It is sad that the elected officials chose not to represent their constituents.

The history...