Henry Clay High School in Lexington was named for a 19th-century statesman who served in the U.S. House and Senate and ran for president three times. It is also a documented fact that Henry Clay enslaved more than 140 Black men, women, and children during his lifetime and opposed abolition, while helping found the American Colonization Society.

As Fayette County Public Schools prepares to open a newly rebuilt campus in 2028, community members have urged the Board of Education to reconsider whether his name reflects the district’s stated values.

At a recent Fayette County Board of Education meeting, speakers — including a teacher — called on the district to change the school’s name, noting that the district’s naming policy calls for honoring individuals of “good character.” They argued that Clay’s lifelong participation in and defense of slavery stands in direct conflict with that standard. They reminded the board that the enslaved people at Ashland were not abstract figures in history books, but human beings whose forced labor built wealth and legacy for others.

At the same time, even those who defend keeping the name acknowledge what one local foundation leader described as the “central contradiction” of Clay’s life: his national influence alongside his role as a slaveholder. Renaming the school would not erase his place in Kentucky or American history. His contributions will continue to be taught, debated, and examined in classrooms and museums. The question before us is not whether history should be remembered — but who we choose to honor in the name of a public school serving 2,500 students.

As a community, we have the opportunity to ensure that the name on this new building reflects our shared commitment to dignity, equality, and educational opportunity for all.

We call on the Fayette County Board of Education to begin a transparent, inclusive process to rename Henry Clay High School before the new campus opens in 2028 — choosing a name that unites our community and aligns with the values we want our students to carry into the future.