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Public Project
Midland Legacy
Summary
Five years after shedding Confederate moniker, a West Texas high school may be Lee High again.
The Midland school district rebranded Robert E. Lee High as Legacy High in 2020, part of a nationwide trend to distance public places from the Confederacy. Now, a new configuration of the Midland school board is set to consider reverting the school’s name to Midland Lee, affixing the Confederate general's legacy once more. A vote may come as early as August 12, 2025.
Some parents in the district feel that the pride created by moving away from the school's Confederate past may soon give way to shame.
The Midland school district rebranded Robert E. Lee High as Legacy High in 2020, part of a nationwide trend to distance public places from the Confederacy. Now, a new configuration of the Midland school board is set to consider reverting the school’s name to Midland Lee, affixing the Confederate general's legacy once more. A vote may come as early as August 12, 2025.
Some parents in the district feel that the pride created by moving away from the school's Confederate past may soon give way to shame.
She’s proud of her family’s West Texas roots. She’s proud of her two daughters, Aniyah and Erinn, two formidably academic athletes who are continuing the family’s basketball legacy.
And five years ago, she was proud of the Midland Independent School District. Its board of trustees had voted to rename a school carrying the name of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which she considered a stain on the community, to Legacy High School.
That pride may soon give way to shame. A new configuration of the Midland school board is set to consider reverting the school’s name to Midland Lee, affixing the Confederate general's legacy once more. A vote may come as early as August 12, 2025.
“My daughter is going to this school, and she's an athlete, representing the school, not just in Midland, but when we travel,” Mayberry said of her youngest, Erinn, a junior varsity basketball player. “What does this say to her that you want to restore a name that meant whites only?”
The debate in this West Texas town echoes a renewed national debate over honoring the leaders of the Confederacy, particularly in the South.
Read the full story at The Texas Tribune
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