CMS Renames High School Honoring Confederate General

CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte-Mecklenburg school officials have officially shed the name of a Charlotte area high school named to honor a Confederate general and slaveholder. Zebulon B. Vance High School in north Charlotte has been renamed to honor Julius L. Chambers, a civil rights attorney.

The school board officially approved the name change Oct. 13. The move will honor Chambers, who founded the first integrated law firm in North Carolina, as well as brought several landmark cases including one involving the use of busing to desegregate schools, the board said.

SEE ALSO: Vance High School To Shed Name Honoring Confederate General

"Mr. Chambers' life and legacy represents the very best of who we are," said CMS board chair Elyse Dashew. "He worked to make our county, state and country a more just and fairer place for all of us. His name on the high school will remind students, and the rest of us, that social justice is achievable, and we share responsibility for making it happen."

The school board first took up the issue of renaming the school over the summer.

According to CMS, three possible names were recommended by a committee that included representatives of the community and the school. "Students, community members and the committee voted, and with that information, Superintendent Earnest Winston recommended Julius L. Chambers High to the Board," CMS said.

"Names and symbols should reflect our values," Winston said. "They speak to who we are and what we aspire to do."