TYLER, Texas — On Thursday, the Tyler Independent School Board will have a special meeting to once again discuss Robert E. Lee’s High School name, and for the first time to talk about changing John Tyler High School’s name as well.
The REL name has been a topic of debate in the city of Tyler for several years now, and the topic was reignited amid the Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the country.
“I feel like our community is saying enough is enough,” said Sky Williams, a John Tyler class of ’19 alum. “We have these big, huge multi-million-dollar buildings and we want a new name placed on them.”
While Robert E. Lee is widely known for his position as a general for the confederacy during the Civil War, former U.S. President John Tyler’s name is remembered differently.
“I really don't know much about his history but what I do know is that he did own slaves which was very bad during the time,” Williams said. According to the White House,“when the first southern states seceded in 1861, Tyler led a compromise movement; failing, he worked to create the Southern Confederacy. He died in 1862, a member of the Confederate House of Representatives.”
Williams, a community activist, has spent the summer advocating in the Rose City for the Black Lives Matter movement and changing REL’s name. He says when he heard the news Sunday about the decision to include John Tyler High School in the name change conversation, he felt relieved.
"Because our school board was actually taking the time out and they were serious about the matter so that we can go ahead and get head this hedge knocked out head strong," Williams said.
The JT alum says he’ll be joining others at the school board meeting Thursday, to show support for the board to change both high school’s names because he would not like to see the matter go to a community vote.
“I think that would enrage a lot of people because we voted these individuals into their office to handle issues like this,” explained Williams. “I feel like they have the power and the tools to change and do what’s right.”
The Tyler ISD school board will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Jim Plyler Instructional Complex.