On March 15th, 2022 – after almost 2 years of student activism – Jackson-Reed High School underwent a name change from Woodrow Wilson High School to its current name. The name was changed to honor two pivotal figures of Jackson-Reed: the first Black teacher, Edna B. Jackson, and the first Black principal, Vincent E. Reed, and to disaffiliate the school from former President Wilson. During and before the COVID-19 pandemic, protests and debates called attention to Woodrow Wilson’s segregationist activities, discriminatory policies, and the historical connotations that his name held for the school. Over 22,000 signatures and a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser were gathered by the DC History and Justice Collective in support of the name change, with the DC Council eventually settling on the name “Jackson-Reed” to tribute the school’s history and its crucial figures.
During debates over the name change, the school was subjected to both opposition and support from students and staff. Many students initially opposed the decision due to the impact it would have on the school, describing it as an adjustment that would require changes to athletic gear, school renovations, and graduation materials, resulting in an estimated $98,000 spent on uniform rebranding alone. Former Editor-in-Chief of the Beacon and 2023 graduate Hadley Carr voiced her observations, saying, “It seemed like community members were not in favor of the name change. In my classes, many students seemed to view the name change as unnecessary. On sports teams, more students were upset because it would mean a complete change to their uniforms.” Many former alumni echoed the views of their fellow graduates, and members of Jackson-Reed faculty also vocalized their positions on the change.
While some students and staff viewed it as a difficult and unrealistic change, others advocated for the school’s advancement away from its discriminatory roots. Max Karp, a graduate from 2020, stated, “Thinking back, I don’t think there were any real protests, but there was definitely a lot of support for changing the name. I remember it being more of a process led by DCPS, where students had input and could vote on whether they wanted the name to be changed or not.” Current staff members, such as APUSH teacher Michele Bollinger and 9th Grade Assistant Principal Marc Minsker, were figures who spearheaded the campaign at Jackson-Reed and acted as crucial advocates of the school’s name change. Minsker says, “I didn’t start the petition, but in Ms. Bollinger’s and Mr. Geremia’s DC History classes, students had already talked about the need to change the school name based on their understanding of Woodrow Wilson. For Black History Month in 2019, we organized a program in the auditorium for DC History classes about Reno City with students from DC History and Justice Coalition participating to spread awareness and collect student signatures.”
When speaking of President Wilson, Bollinger mentioned how teachers organized petitions and wrote letters to DCPS and the city. Following the Black Lives Matter movement, the debate over changing the name intensified, with proponents of the change citing the Black Student Union at Princeton University, which had fought to rename one of its buildings that was also named after Wilson. Bollinger believes that the Princeton community was able to agree on the name change; however, when the discussion was brought to the panel, it consisted of students, alumni, and teachers who had to accept it. “We had laid the groundwork, and groups like the Black Student Union had events around the issue,” Bollinger said, mentioning that “naming your school after a segregationist and racist affects everyone at the school.”
After ongoing debates in 2020, “August Wilson” was also brought up as a possibility. This option also garnered mixed reactions, with many students supporting the decision as it wouldn’t require the alteration of any materials or gear, and it would honor the memorable African American playwright; however, some considered it a hasty solution that wasn’t effective enough to eliminate the shadow that Woodrow Wilson had cast upon the school.
Most current students are in support of the name change, and it’s important to note that the Class of 2026 is the first to enter the school under its new name. All in all, the final decision created a name that honors figures who created the educational institute that is Jackson-Reed and memorializes the vital educators who came before us. •
