Atlanta school board committee recommends new name for Grady High School

ATLANTA — After more than 70 years, Grady High School could soon have a new name as some students push for a change. The Atlanta Board of Education committee handling the possible renaming revealed the favored names Tuesday night.

Ida B. Wells High School received the most votes with Piedmont High School and Midtown High School in second and third place.

“I do worry that the more we drag this on – the more the process is unnecessarily complicated,” Atlanta councilman Amir Farokhi said.

The school was named after Henry Grady, a 1800s journalist who was in support of the Confederacy. Many students say they don’t want his name on the side of the school anymore because of Grady’s views on slavery and white supremacy.

Others, however, say that Grady’s name is synonymous with Atlanta and shouldn’t be changed. There are two online positions for each position.

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The board likes the idea of Ida B. Wells because she was also a journalist from the 19th century. She played a key role in creating the NAACP.

“I think Ida B. Wells is compelling and appropriate name for a whole host of reasons that I’m sure that have been discussed and debated. That would be my vote,” Farokhi said.

It won’t be long before we know if the new name would be approved or not. The decision will be made at the school board meeting in November.

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Cox Media Group