The John Marshall Early Learning Center was added to the list of Newport News schools to be renamed because of its namesake’s ties to slavery.
Chief of Staff Rashard Wright told the school board at its meeting Tuesday that the district’s task force recommended moving the school onto the list of those being renamed after further research into the life of John Marshall, the fourth chief justice of the United States.
Mary Kayaselcuk, the city’s historian, gave a presentation to the board noting that while Marshall believed slavery was “evil” and opposed the slave trade, he owned slaves and had reservations about large-scale emancipation.
Kayaselcuk noted that historian Paul Finkelman said Marshall may have owned hundreds of slaves throughout his life. She also said Marshall biographer Joel Richard Paul contended that Marshall owned between seven and 16 slaves at various points in his life, with the number decreasing as he aged. Kayaselcuk added that Marshall advocated for sending freed slaves to Africa because he feared they would lead an uprising if they were allowed to live in the U.S.
In July 2020, Gov. Ralph Northam sent a letter to school boards around the state encouraging them to remove school names with ties to “individuals who advanced slavery and systemic racism.” The call came as the country was experiencing protests for racial justice and police reform.
In response, Newport News’ school board set out to change the name of schools it says don’t reflect the district’s diversity and inclusion values, schools named after people with ties to the Confederacy, slavery or segregation.
The board formed a community-based group to research the names and history of schools that district staff identified as candidates for a change.
So far, four schools designated as “tier 1” schools — the board’s top priority — were renamed.
Epes Elementary has become Stoney Run Elementary. Lee Hall Elementary was renamed for Katherine G. Johnson. Nelson Elementary is now known as Knollwood Meadows Elementary. Dozier Middle is now Ella Fitzgerald Middle.
By the end of September, signs, marquees and murals at all four schools were updated to reflect the new names.
Stoney Run, Knollwood Meadows and Ella Fitzgerald have updated school colors, mascots and logos. The school community is still working to update materials for Katherine G. Johnson Elementary.
In addition to the newly added John Marshall Early Learning Center, the second tier includes Richneck Elementary, Denbigh High and Denbigh Early Childhood Center. The third tier is B.C. Charles Elementary, Saunders Elementary and Yates Elementary.
It costs the school district about $100,000 to update the signage at an elementary school, $150,000 for a middle school and $250,000 for a high school, according to Wright’s presentation. The schools also have to pay to update stationary, library book labels and the cafeteria. For high schools, the new names also mean updated athletic and band uniforms.
The next steps will be for the entire task force to review the second and third-tier schools and begin the process of collecting nominations for new names for the schools. The school board created a policy that it must solicit public comment before it approves any new names.
Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com
