Do we choose to remember or do we choose to forget?

There are two Americas. 

The America that demands we remember the past in order to live up to our founding ideals. And the America that demands we forget the sins of the past in order to build towards our founding ideals.

The America that remembers requests acknowledgement of and accountability for historic harm. The America that forgets does not want to be held accountable.

The America that forgets expects praise for their perception of progress. The America that remembers will not praise half measures.

I choose to remember.

Remember, in the late 1950s, after the Brown v. Board of Education decision declared the doctrine of separate but equal unconstitutional, the white people in power across the state of Virginia chose to close schools or to build schools named in honor of men who fought to keep Black people enslaved.

Forget, in the late 1950s, after the Brown v. Board of Education decision declared the doctrine of separate but equal unconstitutional, rather than abide by the law and allow black children to be educated alongside their white children, the white people in power across the state of Virginia chose to continue to terrorize Black children and their families by closing schools, attacking Black children who attended integrated schools or by building schools and naming them to honor the men who fought to keep their ancestors enslaved.

In 2020, the Hanover County School Board, in the wake of the modern day lynching of George Floyd, finally voted to remove the local symbols of Massive Resistance to school integration by removing the names of anti-American Confederate soldiers from two public schools. 

Mr. John Redd, a county resident and 1969 graduate of one of those schools, wrote a letter to the school board demanding that they reconsider.  He demands they “some character and courage and admit that you have not represented the will of your constituents.” He requested they keep the names until the schools can be rebuilt sometime in the future. (There continues to be no timetable for replacing either school )

Mr. Redd, who chooses to forget, was appointed to the Hanover County School Board in July 2022.

Remember, the Hanover County School Board discussed banning A Place Inside of Me, A Poem to Heal the Heart in June 2022.  In that meeting, knowing Mr. Redd had already been appointed, Board Member John Axselle suggested delaying the vote 1 month. We can now see why. 

(Click here to see my post about this book banning conversation here).

There are 2 Hanover Counties. The Hanover County School Board wants us to forget. They want us to accept disproportionate discipline for Black students and unsafe bathrooms for transgender students.

Fortunately, there is also a Hanover County that demands we remember. 

Remember.

The school board meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Attend the meetings. Speak. Write letters.

We will not celebrate half measures. We will not be grateful for pennies. We are Hanover.

T-shirts available via Bonfire. All proceeds go to support the Hanover County NAACP.

Here's is Mr. Redd's 2020 email: