In a letter emailed to the Mathews County School Board on Wednesday, Mathews NAACP president Raymond Willis has asked the board to take immediate action to rename Lee-Jackson Elementary.
In the letter, he also indicates that the chapter is working with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs and the law firm of Covington & Burling to explore possible legal action, should that become necessary.
The school board heard comments for and against the name change at its July 21 meeting. During that meeting, school board chair John Priest indicated that the matter would be brought to a conclusion no later than Jan. 1, 2021. The school board will hold a special meeting tonight, where procedural considerations of a name change committee is one of the agenda items (see related story).
“Maintaining the Lee-Jackson name creates a hostile and unwelcoming education environment for Black children and their families,” Willis wrote in his letter to the school board, calling on th...