Julianne Moore Petitions to Change High School’s Racist Name

The 54-year-old actress is adamant about changing the name of her former high school. Julianne Moore has set up a petition to remove a Confederate General’s name from the school front saying, “No one should have to apologize for the name of the public high school you attended and the history of racism it represents, as we and so many alumni of Stuart have felt the need to do our whole lives.”

Moore has joined an effort to change the name of J.E.B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia, honoring a Confederate general, to Thurgood Marshall, the name of the first African American Supreme Court Justice.

The name-changing campaign began in June, following the shooting rampage at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina. Moore, who attended the high school from 1975 to 1977, and a former classmate, producer Bruce Cohen, heard about it and created a petition for the cause on Change.org. The petition had amassed nearly 30,000 supporters as of Tuesday.

Julianne Moore and Bruce Cohen are a successful duo. The pair first collaborated together in a play during the ninth grade. They also worked together on the 2004 film, The Forgotten.

Moore and Cohen wrote, “When our school was founded in 1959, it was named after Stuart, a Confederate General, to protest the 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling that ended the segregation of public schools. Today, this school is attended by a diverse group of students who should not have to attend a school that bears the name of a man who fought to keep African Americans enslaved.”

According to the Washington Post, 49 percent of the school’s students are Hispanic, 24 percent are white, 14 percent are Asian, and 11 percent are black.

Moore released this statement, “We name our buildings, monuments, and parks after exalted and heroic individuals as a way to honor them, and inspire ourselves to do better and reach for more in our own lives. It is reprehensible to me that in this day and age a school should carry and celebrate the name of a person who fought for the enslavement of other human beings. I think the students of this school deserve better than that moniker.”

Cohen, The Silver Linings Playbook and American Beauty producer, added, “The reason why it was never changed is because students never said it was wrong. Now that’s changed . . . finally, there’s real momentum.”

Join their efforts, by signing the petition here. Let us know what you think about this story in the comments section below.