Next school year, the 46-year-old Dale City school known as Mills E. Godwin Middle will be renamed for community leader George M. Hampton.
During a packed meeting punctuated by emotionally-charged testimony from all sides, the Prince William County School Board voted Wednesday to reaffirm its controversial decision to rename Godwin Middle for the 87-year-old Hampton, a black philanthropist and community leader who is also a longtime resident of Woodbridge, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Korean War veteran.
The vote to reconsider the board’s earlier decision to rename Godwin Middle for Hampton, while also naming a new elementary school for fallen firefighter Kyle Wilson, failed in a 5-to-3 vote.
School board members voting against the measure included Chairman Ryan Sawyers, At Large; Justin Wilk, Potomac; Lillie Jessie, Occoquan; Loree Williams, Woodbridge and Diane Raulston, who represents the Neabsco district in which the new George M. Hampton Middle School is located.
School board members Willie Deutsch, Coles, Gil Trenum, Brentsville, and Alyson Satterwhite, Gainesville, voted in favor of the measure.
The measure, proposed by Trenum, sought to amend the board’s March 2 motion to name “a school other than Godwin middle for Hampton before the end of the 2015-16 school year.”
Trenum said he proposed the amendment because he now believes board members were “winging it” when they voted unanimously on a compromise, proposed by Wilk, to resolve what had been a 4-to-4 tie on the naming of the new elementary school under construction near Spriggs and Minnieville roads.
Half of the eight-member board voted to name the school for Wilson, while the other half supported naming it for Hampton.
"Even if we were to rename Benedict Arnold Middle School, we should have asked the community for their input before we go and just change the name on them,” Trenum said. "We neglected the Godwin Middle School community and we didn't give them a voice at the time."
Those who spoke in favor of Trenum’s motion also argued the renaming was done without public notice and without regard to the cost of replacing signs, murals, sports uniforms, etc., to facilitate the change. According to initial estimates, those costs could run as high as several hundred thousand dollars.
“I’m not saying Godwin was a great guy, but I’m a Godwin alumni,” said Marc Rupert, who grew up near the middle school. “Everybody’s in an uproar. Nobody’s happy about this.”
The vote came after nearly three hours of sometimes emotional testimony, mostly from people who spoke in support of both renaming the school for Hampton and for removing Godwin’s name from a school now attended mostly by minority students.
One speaker called it “unconscionable” that students attend a school named for “someone who did everything in his power not to allow black children” to attend public schools.
Godwin, Virginia’s only two-term governor, was dubbed “the education governor” for his efforts to pass the state’s first sales tax, allowing better funding for education, and launching Virginia’s community college system.
But he was also a leader of the "massive resistance" movement, which used state laws to close schools rather than comply with federal orders to open them to black students. Godwin died in 1999, when he was 84, and never publicly apologized for his support of segregated schools.
Some speakers recounted personal stories of childhoods affected by school segregation. Ralph Smith went to school in Prince Edward County, where massive resistance laws kept public school shuttered to all students for five years.
“Some say [Godwin] evolved and are willing to say his participation should be forgiven, but it cannot be forgotten,” Smith said, noting that black students and some poor whites missed years of instruction or never returned to school.
“You talk about [Godwin] and community colleges. We couldn’t get a diploma to go to his community colleges,” Smith said.
When it came time for the vote, school board members in support of changing the school’s name spoke more forcefully than they had in the past about their unwillingness to retain Godwin’s name.
Sawyers called Trenum’s effort “pure political theater,” saying Trenum knew it would not have the votes to pass.
Sawyers also said that schoolchildren might not know about the people for whom their schools are named but “it’s expected that they were a good person.” In a nod to members of the Godwin Middle School staff who are unhappy about the change, Sawyers added: “You are good people and you do a good job. But Mills Godwin was not a good person.”
Jessie said she was “stunned” by the controversy surrounding the vote and showed a slide on the screen above her seat of people protesting massive resistance as she talked about her personal experiences as a student of segregated schools in South Carolina.
“How dare you say we inserted the race card,” she added, presumably to opponents of the name change. “We didn't insert race. Race was there.”
Satterwhite, although voting in favor of the motion, said she nonetheless appreciated hearing similar accounts from members of the audience.
“What Godwin did was unforgivable and he didn't ask for forgiveness,” Satterwhite said. “Thank you for sharing your personal stories. Thank you for opening people's eyes about what you experienced in your lifetimes. ... It doesn't fall on deaf ears.”
But some of the exchanges among board members were also tinged with acrimony. Trenum accused Wilk of making the issue “about race,” and Raulston had sharp words for Deutsch, who met with Neabsco district residents unhappy with the name change at a park in Dale City last weekend.
Raulston told Deutsch she “didn’t invite him to her district.” Wilk, who is from Michigan, shot back at Trenum saying, “Race does have to be talked about a little bit in our community … even if it takes a Yankee to do it.”
After the vote, Hampton, who attended the meeting, said he is happy with the board’s decision despite the tension surrounding the debate.
“For one thing, it’s obvious to me that people in the community did not know who Godwin was,” Hampton said. Hampton’s son and daughter both attended Godwin Middle School. He said he’s never been happy about the school’s name.
“Anybody my age was aware of Godwin but what could I do?” he said. “I lived in Dale City and that was our school.”
Several members of the Pi Lambda Lambda chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity attended the meeting to support Hampton. The chapter, based in Dumfries, named a private foundation affiliated with the chapter for Hampton in 2008.
David “Doc” Holliday, chapter president, and Dreyfus Lane, Sr., president of the George M. Hampton Foundation, pledged their chapter would do support the students and teachers at the new George M. Hampton Middle School.
Both agreed renaming the school for Hampton is a positive step for the community.
“We’ve still got a long way to go. We’re not done yet, but we’re making steps in the right direction,” Holliday said.
(85) comments
Right. Barack Obama and Eric Holder aren't responsible for anything...Hey, isn't it time for your daily meeting with Black Lives Matter and the FBI's Assistant Director for Domestic Sting Operations?
Funny thing with all these Obama comments below.
If in 2000 you asked someone prior to voting - in 8 years we will be in two wars, lose thousands to terrorist attacks, grow the debt to pay for said wars, lose jobs, watch the oil price soar and have the economy approach a great depression .... Would you vote for that guy?
Now in 2008 If I told you we would see a dip in unemployment, a president who would keep us safe, oil/gas would be low, the depression we were facing is gone, the auto industry was saved, more people have health care insurance, NO OTHER PRESIDENT HAS EVER PRESIDED OVER 66 STRAIGHT MONTHS OF PRIVATE SECTOR JOB GROWTH (ever), stocks at record levels, shrinking deficiets since 2009 (the bailout), and you should love this one republicans - more illigal immigrants were deported under obama than under Bush, he also signed fewer executive orders.
So would you vote for this man?
lol, nope. Most republicans would rather have a gay hating, minority hating, climate change denying fool in hte white house who will lead us to financial ruin as long as they claim to love jesus and small business owners all the while passing laws that only help billionaires and major corporations.
so much waste of my hared earned money, its not gonna help the school any.
Says the voice of White Privilege.
Note to all.... Yes, I said it and meant it. If the school was named Osama Bin Laden Middle School then he would suddenly understand how someone else feels. But since Mills "The Segregationist" Godwin did nothing to hurt white people why in gods name should we change school name?
On a day where Ms. Fitzgerald is being HONORED for breaking down the BARRIERS to education regarding segregation we are arguing about HONORING a man whose life work was keeping segregation in tact.
Oh boy.
Same FBI that radicalizes 19 years old Muslims and then arrests them at the airport when they try to leave to join ISIS?
FBI also has a large presence in PW County. How many people involved in the Mills Godwin controversy are FBI employees or spouses of FBI employees? Any estimate?
The FBI is a huge presence in Stafford County and I want to know to what extent the Mills Godwin renaming, Black Lives Matter (which never mentions Barack Obama and Eric Holder), and the venomous public attacks on citizens are part of an FBI agenda.
The saddest part about this is that this is really a non-issue and PWCS is flushing half a million dollars down the toilet while dividing people racially. The easiest answer is we have 2 names, name the next two schools where there is a built in naming budget. But because we elected inept school board members we have this dog and pony show over a non issue. It doesn't matter what a school is named if the classes are huge, the quality teachers flee for higher pay and your population still goes unserved by PWCS. Hampton middle school will not all of the sudden rise to the top because of a new name. Instead of giving the students of Hampton real programs that would help them, we are giving them a set of emperor's new clothes.
You can suggest all you want. But the children of color in PwC will NOT attend a school in honor of a segregationist who called integration a cancer!
"Instead of giving the students of Hampton real programs that would help them, we are giving them a set of emperor's new clothes."
Your argument is so flawed. By taking hte name of a segregationist off the school we are somehow hurting the kids?
Is that your argument?
Look we have to cut taxes so the gubmint does not take any more of our money I get it. So we can not increase funding for school, not important enough, I get it. But are you actually arguing that a segregationist name on the school being removed will harm the kids?
My argument is that this does nothing to help students and its a waste of money. Its a non issue. A schools name, paint color, mascot, has no real effect on education of the students. Students will go through that school not knowing and caring who hampton is just like they did with godwin, in the end the name does not effect what happens in the building.
But imagine if we took the money wasted on the name change and put that into helping the students at the school. That would actually make an impact.
You may think my argument is flawed, but lets check the test scores in a year and see how much a change in name improved test scores.
Same FBI that's beating up on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, McAuliffe Administration, and VDOT for HOT Lanes extensions so FBI employees have a 1-hour HOT Lanes commute between Quantico and FBI Headquarters downtown.
It's a FBI sting...FBI wants you to respond to Pleasantry23's comments trashing white people.
Never once trashed white people. Never once. If you are too dumb to not be able to tell the difference between calling YOU a racist and ALL white people racist. Shame on you.
note: all white people are not racist. Many people recognize that we live in a white privileged society and try to do things to level the playing field.
There is NO way in heck that we would be discussing the naming of a school to honor a person that disrespected, hurt and put white people at a disadvantage. You guys would not have it. But it is your hypocrisy at work that allows you to not see it from any other perspective.
Knowing good and well if someone harmed white people YOU would not want a school named after him.
Obama...Obama...Obama....Obama....Obama
Yes, President Obama, a leader that has kept Americans actually safe. A leader that has watched as we have had 6 straight years of job growth. A president that helped save the auto industry in detroit. A president that has watched jobs grow and the uninsured shrink. A president that has presided as our 401k's regain money lost during last administration.
Yes, President Obama.
The Mills Godwin name change thing is another FBI sting operation to identify "possible terrorist elements" in the African-American population of Northern Virginia.
Pleasantry23, will your and your fellow FBI Agents, who are operating under instructions from the Obama Administration, please stop using this blog to spread racial hatred among the residents of Northern Virginia?
Response from Pleasantly23 and Black Lives Matter?
After 7 years it's more than apparent that President Obama has no affinity for working class or middle class African Americans. Neither does Eric Holder, who was more than happy to toss every African American in DC he could prosecute into prison and throw away the key when he was U.S. Attorney for D.C.
In the warped world of "Black Lives Matter" Mitt Romney is President of the United States and Ted Cruz was U.S. Attorney General between 2009 and 2015.
What a bunch of ignorant idiots.
Last I heard the people at the very top of the decision making pyramid are and were African Americans - President Obama and Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General from 2009 to 2015.
Who's to blame for the warrant less searches, militatarzing the police, massive erosion of civil rights, massive surveillance of African Americans, Muslims, and other minorities by the FBI, massive NSA surveillance of everyone, massive police brutality directed against African Americans, and similar behavior for the Government that's occurred since 2009. Mills Godwin?
Last I heard about 150 million White people were given the choice in 2008 and 2012 to vote for two bona fide White Elitists or vote for Barack Obama. The majority of Whites voted for Barack Obama.
The FIRST person Black Lives Matter should be going after for the aforementioned is the LAST person Black Lives Matter even mentions.
You are not very educated. Only 3 in 10 white people voted for barrack obama in 2012.
President Obama is in office because of the "others" turning out in record numbers. Stop giving all credit where it is not due.
lol
If I were African-American I would be very unhappy that the Obama Administration and Congress (including African-American Members of Congress) which year-after-year allow 1 million legal immigrants into the USA annually. This year the Obama Administration and Congress will allow the least 80,000 Cuban economic refugees and between 10,000 and 100,000 Syrian political refugees to legally immigrate into the U.S.
Same Obama Administration and Congress that wrung their hands at the height of the last recession, tossed veterans onto the street, foreclosed homes, etc., etc., all while welcoming 1 million legal immigrants into the USA every year in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013...
But don't let factual population data get in the way of blanket racial attacks.
Right, but honor the segregationist, right?
Agree. Blanket branding people as 'devils' , 'racists', and worse is not allowed on the Inside Nova news blog. This ignorant behavior has no place on a blog that's supposed to be about discussing the news, not launching attacks against people of another race.
WHO LAUNCED A ATTACK ON ANOTHER RACE?
You guys just make ish up. I think when I am responding to ONE or many racist on here people just think i mean everyone white. LOL.
Listen.
Let's be clear. You can go look at my previous comments. I never ONCE said anything about all white people. Why do you guys make this up over and over and over again?
You have a school named after a avowed segregationist. He called integration cancer. He helped lead Massive resistance. he argued that loving v. virginia should not be overturned. He was solid in his views about the races and it does not fit the lowest threshold for basic decency or human rights.
Sorry if I think it is wrong for a school to honor the man. Sorry if i think only racism allows you to support it. Unless you can give me an example of a person HARMING white people and you asking for a school to keep the name. It aint gonna happen.
P23 has repeatedly violated Inside Nova's Terms of Service. Scroll down and read his malicious and slanderous comments.
I am not allowed to call a racist a racist? I did not know that violated the terms of service.
What should I call them then?
I am not allowed to point out how white privilege permeates all of our lives and give the example of black criminal vs. white criminal narrative in comments?
You think I should silently take it, huh?
I am not allowed to point out the utter hypocrisy in supporting Afircan American children going to a school named after a segregationist? But knowing that you cannot name ONE monument, school or place of honor for ANY person in PwC named after someone who did something wrong to white people SIMPLY based on the color of their skin.
I am wrong for calling a lady a bigot who basically said black people should shut up and go to school and not worry about a name?
I think I know where you are going with this. If you have uncomfortable truths you would rather ignore them.
Yes, racism and bigotry are alive and well in PwC and silencing me will give you short term pleasure but rest assured a change is coming.
"All these black people are so worried about a name of a school from some long dead old white guy"
"But not a single black person cares that their children have the worst grades and are on track to become the most ignorant group of kids in the county."
"Out of the entire world only African Americans are the ones who keep having issues living in this country." Actually, I'm still waiting for the mass exodus of W.A's fleeing the country...you know...they ones that vowed to leave if Obama became President....Hell, the same promise was made if he was elected for a 2nd term....we see how that played out.
They are all talk. the stock market is better, gas is cheaper, the unemployment rate is lower, we are not in a financial free fall like before he became president, we are not invading some random country losing thousands of soldiers, less americans have died at the hands of terrorist in his 8 years than the three previous presidents, we are more energy dependent, more americans have health care I could go on and on.
But they will say with a straight face Obama is a terrible president.
It requires two things to make the types of statements they make:
1. Amnesia: Bush kept us safe. They must forget that 9/11 happened on his watch. But of course you cannot blame him the way you blame Obama for Benghazi. it would not be fair.
and
2. Being a hypocrite: That means never having to say you are wrong.
- They blamed Obama for high gas prices
- they said Obama care would be a job killer. But if you ask about private sector jobs they act clueless that the US has creaded almost DOUBLE the private sector jobs under Obama than Bush.
- Drill Baby Drill - America is far more energy independant under President Obama....
the list goes on and on. But hey. just making the ignorant statement that Obama is a bad president somehow sticks and we all know why.
Newsflash to Insidebugs: W.A.'s are actually hated by most of the outside world. Again, you act as if Blacks are the only ones committing crimes. As I have said before, you could remove the entire Black population from the US prison system, and the USA would still have the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Also, last I check, Blacks aren't the only ones that have issue with the name of Godwin, but, as usual, generalizations like "But not a single black person cares that their children have the worst grades" pretty much confirm your racism/ignorance. Funny how your kind never generalize about your own race, unless it's in a positive tone.
Newsflash to P23: the world is fighting hand over fist to get a visa and immigrate into America. Why you may ask? Because once they get here they can live a very nice life without anyone bothering them, they don't have to worry about police harassing them or anything else.
Do you see any other group protesting and hating against America or starting their own "fill in the blank LIVES Matters" movements?
Do you see any other group of people getting mass incarcerated or throwing away their educational opportunities?
Do you see any other group killing each other on a daily basis?
I am going to tell you one more time: Look into the mirror!!!
Now not one person can post one post that I said all white people are racist or all white people are anything. But the easily offended want someone banned.
Another person post things about african americans as a entire group and crickets.
LOL.
Another email to Inside nova from me in 2013.... Again, not one Johhny do good posted ANYTHING about it being inappropriate. Infact, people acted like it was not even there. But let me call a bigot a bigot and you have a problem? outta here with that.
"This is the first comment posted under the Greg Holley story. is there any way to moderate these types of comments for such a sensitive story of a man being killed?
supreme43 posted at 10:51 am on Fri, Feb 22, 2013.
That half Mutt killed our Black man, you piece of sugar honey ice tea bastard, see thats why niggers and whites should not have kids they create a mutt/bad seed."
I am on this site all the time and I have never seen someone post anything close to that before. And this is someone who is very critical of the black community.
I am very quick to point out how the majority of the country's crime, ignorance and outright evil are created and come out of the black community.
LOL... Example number one.... above:
"I am very quick to point out how the majority of the country's crime, ignorance and outright evil are created and come out of the black community."
But I bet this offends no one.
Another email I sent to inside nova in 2014, PRIOR, to logging onto site..... None of you Johnny do goods who care about TOS did or said anything then..... I wonder why?
"I am sure you do not have a very diverse newsroom but how in gods name does this racist mess sit on your site for hours?
Every crime committed by a African american is relayed in the comments section with racist comments meant to demean and put down minorities. Read your very own comments section!!!!
And you guys do nothing but ignore it. Why not write a story about how racist your COMMENTS section is and how that reflects on the county?
At this point its willful on YOUR part since its a ongoing thing. I was slugging the other day with two black people and they were just talking about how racist the comments section is on inside nova.
JaLaMarcus Shaniqua Oongowa posted at 2:06 pm on Thu, Nov 20, 2014.
JaLaMarcus Shaniqua OongowaPosts: 5
I can only imagine the conversation between the shooter and the victim.
Probably went something like this...
"Yo, nigga!"
"Yo, who u be callin' nigga, nigga?"
"You nigga!"
"You's a punk nigga!"
"Naw, you be the punk nigga, nigga, I be blast you foo'!
"Fukk you nigga!"
"Naw, fukk you nigga!"
BLAM BLAM BLAM.
Oh well, it's not like he was going to win the Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Here is one of the emails I sent to Inside Nova regarding what I was reading, PRIOR, to me deciding enough and calling the racist out!
"Have you guys thought about some type of filter or moderator? I expect this from a deep south newspaper and its the norm on thbe fox news site but is this really not offensive enough to not be posted in your comments section?
"well, i completely agree that the black folk who post here have little command of any language, let alone english.
why do i have to keep seeing this ugly thug's picture on this website every time i log in? his picture alone perpetuates and for the most part, essentially proves, racial stereotypes.
he's the stereotypical black gangsta thug you see on TV"
Infact, read any story about a black criminal on your site and then go read the comments. "
Why do you guys put up with it? Many sites have taken steps to get rid of that type of behavior.
For 2 years I have read inside nova. For two years each time a criminal was black I would see the following comments:
* Obama voter
* No fathers in black homes
* the blacks should......
* its the hip hop culture
* they should go back to PG/DC
* Welfare state results
two years people. Then when a criminal was white all you read is:
* a bad seed
* lock him up
Notice the difference? Over and over and over again. And none of you who care so passionately about the TOS for Inside NOva said a WORD!
I emailed inside nova. Multiple times with clearly racist comments, they did not thing. I have seen blacks called chimps, acting like baboons and been told to go back to africa on inside nova.
I am sorry if you do not realize you are living with white privilege. Just read above. If you and I are similarly situated and we both hate crime, why is it that I have to read about the culture and skin color of every black criminal? And when a white one commits a crime you do not blame all white people? Why is that?
Why is it when a muslim shoots up a gathering we want to openly discuss banning MUSLIMS. Like it is no problem. Hey, they aint us, right? But when a white man shoots up a planned parenthood or Dylan roof kills 9 in a church there is no talk of banning white people. That is white privilege at work. Sorry if you do not see it.
As for a dying breed, let me explain. Older white people who long to "make america great again' or "take back our country" are speaking of going backwards. What backwards means to me is segregated schools, jim crow, getting stopped because you are black in the wrong area and a host of other things that have happened to people who share my skin color. When people support african american children going to a school named after someone who wanted to keep them out of school. Yes, I call that sick. But in my oponion racist are a dying breed as america browns. Many white people no longer subscribe to what the grand parents and parents taught them. So that is the dying breed comment.
the only thing I will apologize for is if my comments come off as directed at all white people. I in no way think all are racist, bigoted and thereby hypocrites. I know many good hearted christian and jewish white people who I call friend and family. When I am speaking to the racist they know who I am speaking too.
But the silence I saw on this site on a daily basis in the face of really negative cultural attacks to black criminals led me to give it right back to the internet cowards who say that stuff.
* No fathers in black homes
* its the hip hop culture
* Welfare state results
Well, statistics prove these 3 items to be accurate. I will add black-on-black crime.
The renaming of this school is, again, feel good legislation. It does not better the quality of life for anyone. I recommend you put your energy and passion in to improving the quality of life for the black/minority folks and spend a little less time here bellyaching.
Earth to Inside Nova - Enforce your news blog's Terms of Service or you may be held legally liable when someone who posts comments using their real name is slandered by some malicious person or persons.
If you go back 50 years you will see that people did things that were not good given what we know now. Kids smoking. Driving not wearing seatbelts. No child seats in vehicles. And so on. Do we obsess about things that got people sick, hurt, or killed 50 years ago? Too much going on today to be worried about.
Amen to Charles! Inside NOVA also needs to review and remove the login name below posted at 10:15 a.m.--totally inappropriate. Responses need to be kept respectable, professional, intelligent, and without hateful verbiage.
If people who post here aren't going to abide by Inside Nova's TOS, Inside Nova should stop posting comments.
Blanket attacks on people for being "white" and "privileged" and "part of a bigoted dying breed" and "You racist are so stupid" are malicious and slanderous.
But blanket attacks on people for being "Black" "Hispanic" , "Obama's sons" etc, aren't?? Thanks for clarifying, we get it now.
No, both are wrong.
I definitely agree, but the lack of responses to what I mentioned as compared to responses similar to yours is undeniable.
I am sorry. I do consider racist to be stupid. I do think that there is white privilege in america and if it offends you that I point it out. Sorry. I do believe that overall racist are a dying breed. And if that offends you. Sorry.
But it is what I think.
Notice, I never once said ALL WHITE PEOPLE. Why did I not say ALL WHITE PEOPLE. because it is not ALL WHITE PEOPLE.
never said that and don't think it.
But if the shoe fit.. wear it.
Pleasantly, hasn't been pleasant ALL day. Been monitoring site all day.. Need to get a job, maybe with PWCS.
I don't understand why anyone would want a building named after them that they had to ask for, then argue for and then get their wish by underhanded means. That part makes no sense to me. I mean no matter who you are or for whatever reason. It just seems odd and I'd like to think people would have more self respect than that. It's a little different if someone hand given their life and is now deceased. I think this practice needs to maybe stop because it causes so many issues when it's a living person. Look at all the uproar this caused. Well hopefully we can all learn from this. Like history. It's going to get tougher and tougher to learn from history though if we keep erasing it.
How is removing his name from the school erasing history? forgive me if I am wrong. A library, the internet and books hold our history. Naming a school after someone is HONORING them. Right?
How about we not honor people who were key players during segregation? How about that?
At the same time, we keep him in all history books to remind us all how evil man can be to other men. Ok, deal?
Time for Inide Nova to stop posting comments?
Why?
Reality is getting too tough for Penny. I wish her the best.
Where does this re-naming end? I mean Washington (D.C. and the state) are named after not only a segregationist but also a slave owner. Changing these names are the only logical conclusions of this movement!
Great thinking. Let them negro children go to the school named after a segregationist. I mean heck, since this country was built on slavery and the south thrived during jim crow and reconstruction why care about how a few Negroes feel, right?
Riddle me this white privledged inside nova reader?
Name a monument in PwC named after someone who thought whites were a lesser race? Name something that was named after someone who did something really bad to a group of people based on the color of the skin?
Lemme help you out..... you cant.
Think it's time for alot of people to stop taking advice from bigots who lack empathy.
How come Jill Palermo is hiding that fact in her story that Hampton has received a fictitious Doctorate degree? Isn't that the biggest issue?
Glad that a few people who actually had to go to run down dilapidated segregated schools got to speak out.
These ignorant bigots act as if segregation hurt no one and the guy somehow magically changed or apologized.
To funny.
you want a school named after a segregationist and then say if you get mad its playing the race card.
Mills Godwin is better off not having his name connected to the Prince William County school system. The board should do what matters like smaller class sizes, cutting waste from the budget, not try to make history by changing history. What a waste of time and money.
I agree with You Know. The money spent by PWC and parents for all these changes is going to be ridiculous. It's a shame the Board was so selfish as to not include the public's vote (especially the people within that school system). I am so glad my children are graduated and out of the school system. It is pathetic and it will only get worse. Where is the thought and common sense? I am a government retiree and have seen all kinds of government waste throughout the years. PWC should concentrate more on education than on this, not to mention the enormous spending on athletic fields and such. Hit the books and adhere to the true definition of schooling! Wise up PWC. ...and the beat goes on...
I am glad you are part of a bigoted dying breed. African American children should not be attending schools named after a segregationist!!!! What part of your white privileged ignorant brain can understand that?
I am sure you would not send your precious child to a school named after someone who hated white people... would you?
As far as voting on it. Some things you should not vote for. Right is right. Slavery, jim crow, segregation if voted on in the south would still be around. Bigots like you would be the reason.
Any sane adult who sees no problem with a man who called integration CANCER having a school named after him has issues.
I'm happy your kids are also out of the system "Thinking About It" that way mine don't have to run into their racist viewpoints stemming from your solid beliefs established at home.
Unfortunately, this is another sad example of local/state/national government giving lip service to the black community. Black-on-black crime is rampant, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, unemployment is well above the national average in minority communities, and housing struggles continue. This does not add diddly to the quality of life and needs of the community. Feel good legislation by governments adds nothing to the problems we are facing.
How is white on white crime doing?
You bigots are funny to me. Yes, it feels good to not have children going to a school named after a man that hates them based on their skin color.
Something you and your people never experience or never will since you are hypocrites.
Devils like you are funny. You got little white girls ODing on Heroin in fairfax and meth epidemic in the trailer park community and you want to put black people down simply because we feel our children should not go to a school named after a fervent segregationist.
unreal.
So we ignore the fact that Mills E. Godwin changed and was endorsed by the NAACP and targeted by the KKK?
I guess next we try to remove anything dealing with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding fathers because they were slave owners?
How did he change? Please explain. When he ran as a democrat the LOCAL naacp did endorse him. SO EFFIN WHAT?
Did you know that the LOCAL BRANCH of hte NAACP was also filled with business leaders with bids in front of the state government?
The man called integration CANCER.
One of his last acts was to VETO the MLK holiday. And he supported the STATE in the fight to keep interracial marriage illegal.
Funny how people are so quick to say he changed. Like that undoes all the harm he supported for 25 years.
Chris Brown and Mike Vick cannot catch a break due to their past. But let a white person harm thousands of black people. You wanna pull the "he changed" card.
What did he change?
How about naming a school after William Henry Cosby Jr.? A living African-American. Not a segregationist. Distinguished actor.
You mean Bill Cosby? That is a ignorant suggestion. I guess racism and bigotry also make you stupid What ties does he have to Pwc? You heard about all the rape allegations right?
You racist are so stupid. this is not about getting the school named after someone black. You guys are sick.
Its about not having the school named after a segregationist who helped lead the massive resistance movement.
How about William and Camille Cosby High School for the Performing Arts?
I look forward to the hope of bridging our gaps and doing what is best for our children and the community they live in.
So what does Henrico Co do about Mills E. Godwin HS?
Kyle Wilson deserves a school named after him in PWC.
If the people of Henrico want a school named after a segregationist who called integration CANCER on society. A man who did not want interracial marriage to be legal. A man who spent the majority of his life keeping hte races apart. If that is who they choose to honor. Let them. Says alot about them though.
We have tons of ignorant bigots in PwC but we also have enlightened fair minded people also who can see right though alot of the nonsense.
The new ES is being named after him.
Good riddance, to long has passed before this happened. I'm proud of the school board, most of them anyway.
Happy to see that PWCS finally get rid of Mills E. Godwin.
Alot of bigots gonna be pissed off.
Lesson learned - Don't name schools for people, name them for some nearby geographic feature, e.g., Oak Ridge.
Or do not name them for people that spent the majority of their public life supporting Jim Crow and segregation. that might be a thought.
Agree with not naming schools after people...like William Henry Cosby. Aren't there enough descriptive names around? Blue Ridge...Spring Lake....Hidden Valley.
Holding the meeting for community input was appropriate and should have been done the first time. Otherwise, I doubt there would have been the ensuing acrimony. Dr. Hampton is an accomplished citizen who has served his country honorably and supported his community actively.
Mr. Hampton does not hold a real doctorate degree. He purchased his degree from an unaccredited degree mill out of Arizona. If he had a real doctorate, the school would be named Dr. George M. Hampton Middle School. Not everyone is who they say they are.
I bet you got no problem with teh school being named after a segregationist.
I could care less if Hampton was a Dr. or not. His accomplishments speak for themself!
Schools should not be named for racists or liars. Its hard to find a perfect person to name a school after. Some people will be viewed as better than others. Its impossible to justify naming a school after a racist and its very difficult to justify naming a school after someone who lied about his education for thirty years. It should be named after someone or something else.
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