Sunday, December 21, 2003

Of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Allen Iverson and Julian Bond

This AP article was in the paper here today.

I noticed that at one point, the article attributes to U.Va.'s own Julian Bond the following statement: "If it had been up to Robert E. Lee, these kids wouldn't be going to school as they are today. They can't help but wonder about honoring a man who wanted to keep them in servitude."

On down the page, the article notes that Ernestine Harrison, who is leading the fight to have a Jefferson Davis school renamed, "dropped an effort to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary in Hampton after learning that Lee was reluctant to battle the North and did not own slaves." Apparently, Ms. Harrison and Professor Bond have different viewpoints on R.E. Lee.

The article quotes one parent as saying the Jefferson Davis school should not be renamed for basketball player Allen Iverson.

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