Potential Lee District Name Change Faces Opposition In Survey

KINGSTOWNE, VA — With Lee District being considered for a name change in Fairfax County, a majority of respondents in a Patch survey are against a renaming.

We surveyed Kingstowne Patch readers from last Wednesday to 12 p.m. Monday. A total of 254 readers responded to the survey, with 65 percent indicating they did not support a Lee District name change. There were 32.3 percent who support a name change and 2.8 percent who were undecided.

Fairfax County's Redistricting Advisory Committee was tasked with recommending if the Lee, Sully, Mount Vernon, Mason and Springfield Districts should be renamed after their redistricting work concluded. The committee's final report recommended the board consider renaming Lee and Sully Districts but not Mount Vernon, Mason or Springfield. It is up to the Board of Supervisors if the names will be changed and what the process will be.

The subcommittee assigned to the Lee District discussion noted historical records are "inconclusive" on the specific person Lee District refers to. Lee was originally one of six Fairfax County townships created in 1870, according to Fairfax County Public Library research. The research notes there were no records on why appointed commissioners chose the township names.

The most recognizable name in the Lee family is Robert E. Lee, the general who led Confederate troops during the Civil War. The full committee recommended the Board of Supervisors consider a name change "given the context of all the Confederate names that are in use within Fairfax County and the significance of the Lee name to our area." The district was home to Robert E. Lee High School, which the Fairfax County School Board renamed as John R. Lewis High School in 2020. The Fairfax County Park Authority removed the Robert E. Lee name from its recreation center, renaming it Lee District Rec Center.

Name suggestions

Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk has expressed support for considering a name change and has held public meetings to discuss the Lee District name since the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 reignited debates about Confederate names. Lusk told the Washington Post some name suggestions include Franconia, Huntley, Laurel Grove and Dogue Creek.

Our survey respondents provided a variety of suggestions for the district's name. Most suggested keeping the name Lee District. The next most popular choice suggestion was Franconia, which references a geographical location in the district. Other suggestions suggested by multiple respondents were Huntley/Huntley Meadows, Dogue Creek, Kingstowne, Lewis/John R. Lewis, Laurel Grove, and a name not referencing a person. Other ideas included Alexandria/South Alexandria, Green Meadows, Justice, Hayfield, Fitzhugh, Accotink, Cherokee, Patriot, Potomac, Belvoir, Holland, Dave Grohl, and Rock Island.

If a renaming were approved, 78.3 percent of the respondents prefer the district name refer to a geographical location rather than a person. There were 9.8 percent who do not prefer the name refer to a location, and 11.8 percent were undecided.

Context of Fairfax County Confederate Names Inventory

The Lee District name is one of many in Fairfax County that could be associated with Confederate ties. In 2020, the Fairfax County History Commission made an inventory of 157 places in Fairfax County with Confederate associated names. In a separate process, the board is looking into potential name changes for Lee Highway and Lee-Jackson Memorial Highway.

In the survey, 61 percent of respondents do not believe Fairfax County should consider changing all Confederate associated names. There were 30.3 percent who believe the county should, and 8.7 percent who were unsure.

Passionate opinions on both sides

While a Lee District name change wouldn't affect residents' addresses, survey respondents shared ways a name change would impact them. Some said the name change wouldn't have an impact on them, while others believe the cost of a name change would impact taxpayers. Those who support a name change believe they would be proud of a community without a Confederate associated name.

Survey respondents had the choice of sharing additional comments on why they support or oppose a name change. Opposed respondents expressed concerns about costs associated with a name change and protecting history.

"Why would we change names of certain locations because of slave ownership the cost incurred would be better spent educating against these atrocities," one respondent wrote.

"I think focusing on name changes is a distraction from focusing on other pressing issues such as crime, the high cost of living, picking up the pieces after two years of shutdowns from Covid 19, and getting our kids back on track at school," another respondent said.

"The renaming of schools, roads and districts has been never an issue until recently and there has never been a loud outcry by the public before!" another respondent said. "There should be a referendum used to decide this issue; not 9 members on the Board of Supervisors."

Others believe the Lee District name honors Confederate history and should be removed.

"These names should never have been used to honor those who chose to fight for the continued enslavement of Black Americans during the Civil War," one respondent wrote. "This is only one step in many that should be taken to amend for Virginia's sins against African Americans."

"Robert E Lee was a traitor and a racist and should not be honored," another respondent wrote. "Time to recognize the shameful past and stand tall and say we are inclusive and tolerant now in the 21st century."