Journal Article

What’s in a Name? The Confluence of Confederate Symbolism and the Disparate Experiences of African American Students in a Central Virginia High School

Rachel A. Levy, Stefanie Salamon Hudson, Carolyn Null Waters, and Katherine Cumings Mansfield
June 2017 | University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA); Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership

This journal article from the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership presents a case in which youth activists in a Virginia community challenged the status quo along with considerations and discussion questions about how the school principal should respond. Black students at Robert E. Lee High School in Virginia came together around what they perceived as racist symbolism and inequitable educational policies and practices. The Black student leaders at Robert E. Lee High School presented their school principal with a list of demands. Meanwhile, the school’s football and basketball teams, the Rebels, threatened to go on strike until students’ demands were addressed. This case study could be used in educational leadership graduate programs as well as curriculum and instruction coursework, especially in courses that emphasize social justice and ethical decision-making.

Program and Curricular Materials