This petition was written three years ago when I was a Junior at Wade Hampton High School. I was sixteen years old. This petition was started after the discovery of the history and legacy of my high school’s namesake, Wade Hampton III—a history and legacy that is rooted in the fight for the continued enslavement and oppression of African Americans.
 
This petition was never a call to “erase history”. It was about providing a more truthful and accurate context to the history we honor and support through symbolism like monuments, road names, and in this case, public school names.
 
When I started this petition, many people admitted that they did not know who Wade Hampton was nor did they know of his involvement with the Redshirts, a violent paramilitary group that suppressed African-American voters to make sure he was elected as governor. In truth, I had never heard of Wade Hampton until I’d stumbled upon his Wikipedia page when looking up the school one day, and that’s exactly why this petition matters.
 
The current WHHS school board representative, Lynda Leventis-Wells stood opposed to me on a debate panel in 2017 about the petition to change the name. She said that no racism had ever existed at WHHS and therefore could not exist today because she (a white woman) had not personally seen it when she was a student many years ago and did not see it now. I think about this often and see the choice of blindness in many instances of lack of change in our community. When the people in charge have chosen not to see what hurts and divides our community, we are left with exactly that.
 
We cannot “erase” history that is not being told. This petition was a call to change the name to honor someone who better represents the values and community history of Greenville. I stand by my original choice of Max Heller because of his important contributions to the development of Greenville, but I am calling for us to build community around choosing a new name that better represents our community.
 
The name of Wade Hampton High School hurts and divides our community. The truth is that Wade Hampton III has an ugly legacy that should not be honored by the name of a school. Black students should be able to participate in their high school spirit without having to be reminded of the legacy of a man who fought for their ancestors continued enslavement and oppression.
 
My hope is that we can come together as a community to correct our mistakes and reclaim our narratives.  Wade Hampton III will forever be in S.C. history books. Students and community members deserve to know a full, truthful narrative of our history. And no black student should have to feel the constant reminder of a hard-fought (and lost) will to oppress their right to live, learn, and be an engaged citizen in their community.
 
What the original posting of this petition lacks is other details I have learned over the years:
 
1.     The original name of Wade Hampton High School, Paris High School, changed in 1960 following desegregation. The original namesake is also problematic, but the choice to name a school wherein black students would attend despite the wishes of the majority of white community members after a slaveowner and confederate general was not a choice made without intention.

2.     Because of the name, Wade Hampton High School is a protected confederate monument under South Carolina’s Heritage Act. To change, remove, or move a monument protected under this act requires a 2/3 majority vote in SC legislature. The Heritage Act, as it currently stands, also protects Civil Rights and other historical monuments.

There’s a petition floating around asking for a repeal of the Heritage Act to enable local communities to make their own decisions about what to do with confederate monuments/memorials in their communities. You can sign it here.
  
So, thank you for signing and supporting this petition. I hope if nothing else it has brought important dialogues to your dinner tables and Facebook feeds. This is the time to reclaim our history. This is the time to right our wrongs. This is the time for justice. This is the time to change the name of Wade Hampton High School.

-Asha Marie