Brown Middle School is currently named after the confederate Governor of Georgia, Joseph Emerson Brown. Though he served as a founder of the Atlanta Public Schools (founded for only white students), he was a staunch supporter of slavery, owned six slaves himself, was a secessionist and segregationist. Some folks in the community are against this change because they feel Joseph E. Brown's business accomplishments and contributions to education for white students outweigh his wrongs.

Sign this petition to support the name being changed to something that is affirming of our students at Brown, of whom 98% are black and the descendants of enslaved people. Many teachers, students, and community members feel this change is long overdue. Recently, at a community meeting, a Brown teacher mentioned that his students were "dumbfounded" to learn that their school was named after a man who believed that whites are a superior race.

Sign the petition and have your voice heard. APS will see this petition and take it into consideration when they decide on the change.