Lanier watchdogs to fight name change
Share this story:
There is a growing community revolt to HISD’s plans to rename Sidney Lanier Middle School,
Thursday night at the Houston School Board Meeting parents will announce their campaign to save the legacy of the Civil War Era Poet. The public session begins at 5:00 PM at HISD headquarters.
“What they are doing to this man’s name is a miscarriage of justice,” says parent Adrienne Murry. “We have just begun to fight. Enough is enough!” Murry’s 7TH grade daughter attends Lanier. So did her grandmother. It is a family tradition.”
HISD plans to rename a number of schools because of their purported links to the confederacy and slavery. Lanier parents say the Poet should never have been included in this historical purging and should be removed. A school renaming committee will make recommendations next month. Parents call on the committee to vote for the same name.
History matters. Sidney Lanier owned no slaves, and joined the Civil War as a teenager to fight alongside his brother. His poems preached love and reconciliation, and while they sometimes reflected the culture of the South in the 1860’s that is what artists do.
“When I heard school board members insult our children for fighting for their school and the legacy of a good man, I knew this had gone too far”, says parent Chrysi Polydoros. “What kind of hateful message are they sending?”
The Lanier Watchdogs have set up a Go Fund Me account for contributions for their fight “Leave it Lanier.” Follow their fight on Facebook, Lanier Watchdog and on twitter @lanierwatchdog and Instagram Lanier Watchdog.
For media interviews, please contact Wayne Dolcefino at 713-389-0810
Keep up with us on social media:
