A push to change Confederate school names

Montgomery, Ala. (AP) — Trude Lamb is a standout cross country runner at Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas, but the name on her jersey is a sharp reminder of a man “who didn’t believe people like me were 100% human.”

The sophomore, originally from Ghana, told the school board this summer that she had seen the horrific conditions of slave dungeons on the African coast and can’t support a name that celebrates a Confederate general who fought on the side of slavery. Along with many other students and alumni, she pushed to change the name this year in a campaign organized under the hashtag #wewontwearthename.

The school board approved the change in July after years of resistance.

“That name was not a black supporter. He owned slaves. He did anything he could to get rid of Black people. I’m like, ‘No, not wearing this name on my jersey,’” Lamb told The Associated Press.

More than 100 public schools in the U.S. are named for Confederate figures — roughly 90 of those for Lee,

Confederate President Jefferson Davis or Gen. Stonewall Jackson — according to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Many were founded during the days of segregation as all-white schools but now also serve African American students. At least a dozen have majority Black student bodies.

A renewed push has emerged to rename many of the schools as ongoing nationwide protests over police misconduct and racial injustice have spurred the removal of Confederate monuments.