GOVERNOR NORTHAM URGES EDUCATION LEADERS TO REMOVE CONFEDERATED NAMES FROM SCHOOLS

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam urges education leaders to remove Confederate names from Virginia schools. In a letter Governor Northam wrote to school board chairs on Monday he said that the names and mascots have a "traumatizing impact on students, families, teachers, and staff of all backgrounds." His letter to officials to get rid of Confederate names, mascots, and images of schools comes as there are protests across the nation for racial justice and police reform. Last month, the Fairfax County School Board voted to rename Robert E. Lee High School and school boards in Prince William County have also voted on similar name changes. Statues and monuments to some of the historic figures have also been taken down across the commonwealth and the country. Northam also wrote that the financial costs of changing school names are minimal compared to what generations of African Americans have suffered through.  

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