As dozens of people gathered in the Woodson High School auditorium on Wednesday night, longtime basketball coach Paul “Red” Jenkins reflected on his relationship with the school’s original namesake.
The longtime superintendent, Wilbert Tucker Woodson, didn’t want to put his name on the Fairfax, Virginia, school. He fought against it, Jenkins said, but was unsuccessful.
Woodson called Jenkins on Saturday mornings routinely to find out how the basketball team played the night before. The two were close, but when historical documents revealed Woodson opposed desegregation, Jenkins considered his legacy.
“I thought Mr. Woodson was a good man, and he was a good man,” Jenkins said. “But he had some wrong ideas that hurt a lot of people. I’m delighted with where we are today.”
Now, the school’s signs pay tribute to Carter G. Woodson, a Virginia native credited with being the “father of African American history,” as the author and historian is known for creating some of the first journals documenting African American history. His portrait is on the wall near the school’s front office.
Wednesday’s rededication, school officials said, served as a reminder of the previous namesake’s troubling past and an opportunity to acknowledge it and move forward.
School Board Chairman Karl Frisch characterized it as a “transformation” that will happen as a result of the renaming.
“This fight continues in our country, because so much is at stake,” Frisch said. “Our school division must not back down in the face of those who would divide us or try to erase the history that we’re talking about today.”
In November, the school board voted to officially change the name from W.T. Woodson High to Carter G. Woodson. That decision came months after board members considered the change, after some community members spoke out with concerns about the school’s original namesake.
Supporters of the name change say it gives the school division a chance to correct an overlooked and long-delayed mistake. But critics say that while they don’t agree with W.T. Woodson’s views, a name change is excessive.
The school was initially named after Wilbert Tucker Woodson, who was the school division’s second-longest serving superintendent.
The name change is estimated to cost the school division about $300,000 to help pay for updated equipment and uniforms.
Megan McLaughlin, a former school board member who helped spearhead the name change, said it represents an opportunity “to say that by understanding our history, we can appreciate where we’ve come and where we continue to go.”
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