Woodson Community Celebrates New Namesake, Reflects on History at Carter G. Woodson Dedication Ceremony
Hundreds of C.G. Woodson High School students and families, local leaders, Woodson pyramid principals, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, and alums and faculty members of the former W.T. Woodson High School gathered this week to rededicate the building, honor the school’s new namesake, and reflect on history.
The FCPS School Board voted last year to rename the school, which opened in 1962 and was originally named after the second-longest serving FCPS superintendent, W.T. Woodson, who led the district from 1929-1961. W.T. Woodson’s opposition to the desegregation of schools has since been revealed in historical documents, leading to requests from the community to rename the school.
Megan McLaughlin, a former School Board member who for 12 years represented the Braddock District – which includes the Woodson High School pyramid – helped spearhead the name change. McLaughlin, whose children and husband are Woodson alums, said the new namesake is a chance “to say that by understanding our history, we can appreciate where we’ve come and where we continue to go.”
Students and others who raised concerns about W.T. Woodson also advocated renaming the school in honor of another Virginian – Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is widely considered the “Father of Black History.” Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the scholarly Journal of Negro History (now called the Journal of African American History), and the creation of “Negro History Week,” the precursor of Black History Month. A journalist and an educator, Dr. C. G. Woodson later became Dean of Howard University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
After two months of public engagement in 2023, including two community meetings, two public hearings, and two district online feedback forms, the school board voted to rename the school in honor of Dr. C.G. Woodson.
‘His passion for the transformative power of education and his belief in the importance of diverse representation is as urgent today as it was during his lifetime,” Superintendent Reid said at the rededication event.
School Board Member Rachna Sizemore Heizer, who supported the change last year as an At-Large Member, had said at the time of the vote that the name change aligned with FCPS Strategic Plan Goal 2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.
“FCPS remains committed to creating an inclusive community where all feel welcomed, respected, and supported,” she told constituents. “This commitment extends to the names placed on our school buildings.”
Sizemore Heizer, who now serves as the Braddock District representative that includes the Woodson High School community, participated in the rededication ceremony this week and noted the change also aligns with the One Fairfax equity policy embraced by both the school board and Board of Supervisors.
School Board Chairman Karl Frisch agreed.
“I hope all students now walk through the hallways with their heads held high,” he said at the rededication ceremony.
Read more about the Woodson Renaming Process.
