Abilene Man Wants Confederate Names on Elementary Schools Changed

ABILENE, TX — A petition to rename four Abilene ISD schools has slowly been gathering support as the issue continues to cause controversy across the nation. Back in 2017 school officials stated they weren’t “ready to wipe away the names of individuals who played important roles in history.”

According to KTXS, the petition was created by Zach Snyder and calls for the renaming of four elementary schools that are named after Civil War Confederate leaders.

The four elementary schools in question are: 

• Robert E. Lee Elementary
• Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson Elementary
• Albert Sidney Johnston Elementary
• John H. Reagan Elementary

According to Snyder, this is an opportunity for the district to “right a wrong” in the community.

“While it was never appropriate for schools to be named after men who are best known for betraying the United States of America, our community and the current leaders of Abilene Independent School District have an opportunity to right this wrong immediately.”

“It is not a coincidence that these campuses were built and named in the era immediately before the integration of Abilene’s public schools. A less-than-subtle message was being sent by honoring those specific men at that specific moment in our history: These schools aren’t meant for you. This message is still being communicated today, implicitly promoting a commitment to white supremacy over black equality.”

Snyder is asking for 200 signatures in his petition and he has reached 169 at the moment. He is also calling for community support and asking parents to contact the AISD Board and District Administration directly.

“Parents, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and concerned citizens: We can and must demand better.”

“With this petition, the undersigned call on Dr. David Young, the rest of the AISD Administration, and the AISD Board of Trustees to quickly move to change the names of these four schools. We also ask that the new names honor those who have promoted the values to which our community now aspires.”