Petition To Rename Col. Zadok Magruder High School Gains Traction

ROCKVILLE, MD — More than 1,850 people have signed a petition to rename a Montgomery County high school because its namesake was a slave owner.

The online petition calling for the renaming of Col. Zadok Magruder High School was created a week ago by a group called Colonels for Justice.

The push comes amid widespread protests against institutionalized racism in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody.

"Col. Zadok Magruder chained humans," the organizers wrote on Change.org. "Our high school was named for him because he commanded a Maryland militia in the Revolutionary War. But now that we know that he shackled black people, let's rename our school after a non slaver."

According to the first U.S. Census, Magruder is listed as head of the household who owned 26 slaves. Born in Prince George's County in 1729, Magruder served as commander in the Revolutionary War and helped establish Montgomery County's government.

Similar petitions to change the names of Montgomery County high schools have been circulating online.

More than 4,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to rename Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville. Richard Montgomery served in the British army from 1756 to 1773. He eventually switched sides and became a major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Like Magruder, Montgomery owned slaves.