Grady High students submit petition to change school’s name

By Collin Kelley

Grady High School students have submitted a petition to the Atlanta Board of Education calling for the Midtown school to be renamed. The school was named after journalist, orator and white supremacist Henry W. Grady in 1947.

A petition to rename the school signed by 180 students was submitted to the school board at its February meeting and, at press time, was under review. The petition cites Grady’s racist views and support of segregation as the reason for the change.

On Jan. 31, the high school’s newspaper, The Southerner, published a lengthy online story written by co-editor Charlotte Spears that shows a divide among students and alumni.

The petition suggests now is the time to change the name as the school embarks on a $40 million expansion and renovation. The petition reads in part: “With the upcoming renovation, we believe now is the time for our school to realize a more inclusive vision, one that can only be achieved when all students can proudly wear school apparel and shout school chants without being forced to honor a segregationist.”

Alternate names suggested in the petition include pioneering AfricanAmerican journalist Ida B. Wells and civil rights attorney Donald Lee Hollowell.

Everett Stubin, a white student quoted in The Southerner article, believes the name should be changed. “I hear the argument that it’s part of our history, but I don’t think we need to commemorate him, and I think it’s really backwards that our school still has his name,” Stubin said.

Bradley Hamilton, an African-American student quoted in The Southerner, doesn’t think the change is necessary. “I don’t think we should change it at all because there’s a lot of different things with different names that have racist backgrounds,” Hamilton said. “That would mean we would have to change all of them. It has a racist background to it, but it is just a name. Like my name, Hamilton, has a racist background to it. So, should I change my name?”

The Atlanta School Board’s policy on naming facilities requires the chairman to appoint a special committee to consider nominations and make a recommendation to the board.

The petition to change Grady High School’s name comes on the heels of the renaming of a number of Atlanta streets –most notably Confederate Avenue in Grant Park – that had connections to Civil War or Jim Crow era figures.

Construction crews are installing security fencing and officially closing the western portion of the Atlanta BeltLine’s Southside Trail today to begin early construction activities.

According to Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the interim trail will be closed at the paved southern terminus of the Westside Trail, the concrete access point at University Avenue, the stairs at Metropolitan Avenue, and west of the stairs at Pryor Road. The closure will extend between University Avenue and Pryor Road, so trail users will need to exit the corridor and use sidewalks along surface streets between the two locations. Signs will be posted at closed locations.

This 0.75-mile segment, called Southside Trail-West, will remain closed while Astra Group builds out the multi-use trail, which is expected to take about a year to complete. Work will include a 14-foot-wide concrete trail; gravel path at Allene Avenue; a new pedestrian bridge, an ADA-accessible ramp, and pedestrian signal and crosswalk at Metropolitan Parkway; lights and security cameras; utility relocations, environmental remediation of the corridor; stormwater infrastructure; granite retaining walls; and full landscaping.

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