Help Rename James Blair Middle School
The WJCC School Board is expected to vote on whether to start the renaming process for the Middle School named after a pro-slavery figure next week
Hello all,
It’s been awhile! I’m following up to give an update on the request to rename James Blair Middle school in Williamsburg, which the WJCC school board is expected to vote on next Tuesday, February 18. I’m asking for your help to ensure this measure passes, so that the community can take an important step to move beyond the legacy of slavery. Read to the end to see what you can do to support our campaign.
Why James Blair Middle Should be Renamed
The campaign, which was started by Mary Lassiter and her brother Carl in 2020, has been featured in Round the Triangle since the publication started. I interviewed historian Jennifer Oast about how James Blair, the co-founder of the College of William & Mary, was not just an enslaver himself but helped institutionalize slavery in Virginia. I did a follow up podcast about the campaign, which also discussed our request to rename Magruder Elementary in York County, named after Confederate General John B. Magruder.
Last September, our campaign submitted a formal request to the WJCC school board asking to rename James Blair Middle to James B. Tabb Middle, commemorating local community leader Rev. James B. Tabb. The board discussed the request at its recent work session last Tuesday, which you can watch here.
Because of James Blair’s advocacy for institutionalized slavery, Virginia’s colonial government allowed churches and other organizations to hold enslaved people. Blair loaned the W&M its first enslaved laborers, and while he was college president, W&M purchased a plantation with 17 enslaved people. The profits of that plantation funded scholarships for white students for decades. It is fair to say that generations of black children were born into slavery because of James Blair.
James Blair Middle School, originally a whites-only high school, was named for him in 1954 as part of Virginia’s pro-segregation Massive Resistance movement. It was a reaction to the Civil Rights movement and meant to enforce the unequal education system that Blair helped establish. My co-organizer Mary, who was part of the first fully integrated graduating class at James Blair High in 1969, remembers seeing a mural at the school’s entrance that depicted a towering Blair standing over a subservient Black enslaved man.
We believe it’s time to change this school name and instead honor someone who exemplified the values of our school division. Unlike Blair, Rev. Tabb was all about equality in education—he was one of the first to enroll his daughters in whites-only schools before full integration and, as the local NAACP president, played a key role in ushering our community into an integrated school system. He served as a pastor at multiple churches, received a funeral procession down Duke of Gloucester Street after his passing, and was honored posthumously with a joint resolution by the Virginia General Assembly.
Here’s how you can help rename James Blair Middle:
• Email the school board to voice your support for renaming James Blair Middle. Here are their email addresses: https://wjccschools.org/about-wjcc/leadership/school-board/members/
• Show up at the Feb. 18 board meeting. Arrive by 6 PM so you can sign up to speak during public comment. Let us know if you’d like help preparing a short speech.
Thank you so much for your support. Let’s work together to ensure our schools reflect the best of our community. If you’d like to connect with the campaign or have any questions, you can join our Facebook group.
Does this mean Round the Triangle is back?
At this time, I’m not sure when or if I will be bringing Round the Triangle back. If you want to see the newsletter return, please message me and let me know what you liked best about previous editions or what you would like to see in the future.
Before signing off, a personal update
Thank you to everyone who sent me nice messages in response to my announcement about my father’s illness. My dad, Dr. Anthony J. Caterine, passed away peacefully on January 9. I miss him every day. You can read his obituary here.