Advocates continue to push for renaming Woodrow Wilson High School

Several speakers addressed the school board at Tuesday's meeting to urge them to change the name because of Wilson's racist history.

FARGO, N.D. — Changing the name of Woodrow Wilson High school seems like a no-brainer to many.

“Wilson’s horrific record of segregating the federal government, firing African Americans, doing nothing to prevent racial violence and arresting hundreds of thousands of people for allegedly criticizing the government is clear,” said advocate Jim Shaw.

Despite the clarity of Wilson’s racist past, the school board has yet to make the change to the school’s name despite being in serious discussion of doing so since June.

Advocates of the change were once again in attendance at the school board meeting to have their thoughts heard.

Speakers included three Fargo ministers, two former Woodrow Wilson High students and members of Black Lives Matter.

“The fact that everyone cannot see how humiliating and upsetting it is to be a black or brown girl attending a school celebrating an obvious racist is appalling to me,” said advocate Faith Dixon.

The school board did not vote to change the name at the meeting, but it did reveal changes to an administrative policy that will now allow them to consider naming and renaming school facilities.

“The board’s communication and advocacy committee does plan to immediately meet and reconsider the name Woodrow Wilson,” said Fargo Public Schools superintendent Dr. Rupak Gandhi.

While the board can now examine changing that name with the updated policy, advocates are unhappy it has taken so long, citing examples of other schools around the country, including Princeton University, that dropped the same name without question.

“You are the elected leaders of this school district. The voices of black Americans who were fired, put in cages or murdered under Woodrow Wilson and the many modern-day George Floyds are calling on you to drop the Wilson name,” said Shaw.