ABILENE, TX — Last month a petition was created to request the name change of four Abilene elementary schools. A few days ago an Abilene resident created a counter-petition to garner support to keep the names.
According to KTXS, the petition was created by Vicki Cannon. In the petition, Cannon argues the community must take a stand. The petition has gathered 603 signatures and is seeking to reach one thousand.
“As we are in the midst of cancel culture hysteria, We The People of Abilene, Texas, the silent majority, are silent no longer.”
“The false narrative that our schools named after American Civil War Confederate soldiers advocates white supremacy over black equality is erroneous and a great injustice to our history.”
“We honor our Civil War Confederate soldiers not for what they did wrong or mistakes they made, but rather we choose to memorialize them for their significance in our nations history and their accomplishments that contributed to where and who we are today. The greatest nation in the world.”
The petition to rename the schools has received 3,876 signatures. Organizers are seeking to change the name of Robert E. Lee Elementary, Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson Elementary, Albert Sidney Johnston Elementary, and John H. Reagan Elementary.
In response, Abilene ISD announced they would “design an appropriate process to hear from our community stakeholders and make student-centered decisions moving forward.”
San Angelo ISD is facing a similar situation with Robert. E Lee Middle School. Earlier this year the school announced they would begin a process that would allow for community input as they ponder what course of action will be most beneficial to the community.
For more information on the controversy in SAISD check out the following stories:
Online Petition Aims to Wipe Civil War General's Name off San Angelo ISD Middle School
Petition to Retain Confederate General's Name on San Angelo ISD Middle School Begins
SAISD Responds to Controversy Over the Name of Robert E. Lee Middle School
Process Announced to Consider More Than Just Renaming Robert E. Lee Middle School
Comments
Celebrating the deaths of over 600,000 men, to honor "their accomplishments that contributed to where and who we are today". How morbid. They should be remembered as the treacherous dogs that they were and not honored at all. Teach the truth in schools. Some people actually brag about an ancestors treachery during the civil war. We don't bring it up and certainly don't honor it.
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