The DC Council will hold a hearing next Wednesday, October 6, at 10 a.m. on the "August Wilson Designation Act of 2021."  This is Mayor Muriel Bowser's proposal, announced in April, that would shortchange students, faculty, and history by changing Wilson to . . . Wilson.

Here is the link to the Council's announcement, which directs those who wish to testify to register no later than Monday, October 4 at 5 p.m.  https://dccouncil.us/event/committee-of-the-whole-public-hearing-49/  We will be presenting testimony on behalf of the D.C. History and Justice Collective opposing August Wilson as the new name for the school, and in favor of outstanding local Black educators Edna B. Jackson and Vincent Reed, who both have deep connections to the school. 

Please take a moment to email members of the Council (see email addresses below).  THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO WEIGH IN BEFORE THE COUNCIL VOTES TO RENAME OUR BELOVED SCHOOL. Please consider including these points:

As we explained back in April, we take no issue with August Wilson, who is deservedly celebrated as one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century and a chronicler of the Black experience. Yet August Wilson has no tie with DC or with the school, beyond landing on the ninth-grade required reading list year after year.

He just happened to be the most widely known Wilson offered up by those who favored the most painless and least expensive transition possible, the nostalgic alumni guardians of school spirit, and the defenders of the Wilson brand of greater resources than any other DC public high school and the attendant high college admissions track record. “As long as it stays Wilson,” we heard from certain quarters, a new name would be fine.

Yet “as long as it stays Wilson,” we can skirt the hard conversations on persistent, pernicious racial inequity in DC neighborhoods, such as the one surrounding Wilson, that the school name change should have sparked.  We squander a chance to honor pathbreaking Black educators such as Principal Vincent Reed and long-time teacher Edna Jackson – both of whom helped shape the school and inspire students White and Black. We miss an opportunity to make this the first DC public high school to be named after a woman.

With this half-measure, DC Public Schools has missed a chance to take a principled stand on the side of the students and teachers who have worked so hard over the years to remove the tainted name Wilson from their school. We hope the DC Council won’t do the same. We call on the Council to stand for a name that reflects the values of the school and the community: Jackson-Reed.

CALL TO ACTION:

Please take a moment to email the DC Council to let them know you would like them to reject August Wilson as the new name, and indicate who is your preferred choice.  A personal email briefly saying who you are, what is your connection to the school, and why you think the Council should reject August Wilson in favor of Edna Jackson and Vincent Reed would count a lot.  It should be noted that Reed and Jackson combined to take FIRST PLACE in the public survey, with 36%, compared to August Wilson at 29%.  Moreover, the Wilson Beacon (on behalf of students) wrote a strong editorial endorsing Edna Jackson, and the faculty submitted a petition in which 70% endorsed Edna Jackson.  Why are DCPS and the Mayor ignoring students and faculty?  And isn't it about time for a DCPS high school to be named for a Black woman?

Email addresses (you can cut and paste these right into your “TO” line)

pmendelson@dccouncil.us; 

kmcduffie@dccouncil.us; 

abonds@dccouncil.us; 

esilverman@dccouncil.us; 

rwhite@dccouncil.us; 

chenderson@dccouncil.us; 

bnadeau@dccouncil.us; 

bpinto@dccouncil.us; 

mcheh@dccouncil.us; 

jlewisgeorge@dccouncil.us; 

callen@dccouncil.us; 

vgray@dccouncil.us; 

twhite@dccouncil.us

Please include the DC History and Justice Collective in the “CC” line, so we can collect all of your hard work:  dchjcollective@gmail.com

PLEASE PASS THE WORD TO ALUMNI, FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!