It’s official: Tacoma’s Woodrow Wilson High School will get a new name
Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma will be renamed Dr. Dolores Silas High School.
The Tacoma Public Schools Board of Director approved the name change for the school at a meeting Feb. 11.
The new name will be effective July 1, 2021.
“I think it’s a really fitting selection,” board director Andrea Cobb said. “... I do think Dr. Silas reflects the contributions to both our educational and civics communities and an orientation toward equity and inclusion.”
“A name change does not take the place of systemic change, but it does show that we are ready and willing to do the hard work of confronting racism and other injustices,” board director Korey Strozier said.
Silas, now in her 90s, was the first Black woman to serve as an administrator for Tacoma Public Schools after becoming principal of DeLong Elementary. She also became the first Black woman to serve on Tacoma City Council in 1991.
Silas also served as the president of the Tacoma NAACP, elected in 1978, and was recognized by the city of Tacoma with a Lifetime Service Award in 2019.
Superintendent Carla Santorno estimated in January that the cost of the name change would be at least $400,000, for changes like building exterior, interior and uniforms.
Santorno anticipates the transition will take 18 months. The school’s mascot — Rams — and colors — red, white and blue — would remain the same.
Student representatives spoke in support of the name change Thursday evening.
“A name change is not just a chance to be politically correct but a chance to stand on the right side of history, to foster a new truth,” said SAMI student Jazmin Pearson. “It’s not enough to be neutral. It’s not enough to not be racist. We must all take a stance and take clear actions to be anti-racist. And this name change is a good first step.”
Wilson student Indigo Hill also supported the change.
“While I understand the concerns of our alumni, I really want to stress if we’re not doing this now, then when are we going to do it? When is the perfect time to be anti-racist?” Hill said.
Wilson principal Bernadette Ray helped lead the charge for the Wilson name change after alumni sent letters to her last spring, pointing out the racist history of the man the school was named after.
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921, and known for leading the country through World War I. He was a segregationist who wrote a history textbook praising the Confederacy and was an advocate of the Ku Klux Klan.
According to News Tribune archives, Wilson High School first opened with the name in 1958.
“For me, it’s absolutely inexcusable to have a KKK sympathizer on the exterior wall of my building, and when we know better, we do better,” Ray told The News Tribune.
A committee made up of various alumni and stakeholders met over the past few months to come up with new names.
A survey to the public was sent in September with roughly 3,900 responses. According to the survey results, 43 percent of respondents voted to change the name, while 57 percent of respondents voted to keep Woodrow Wilson High School.
In response to changing the name, 283 respondents supported naming the school after a person of color, 200 supported removing Woodrow and leaving Wilson, 136 supported naming the school after a different Wilson, and 167 supported naming the school after a geographic location.
Not everyone was in favor of the name change.
“I find it difficult to understand how the district is willing to spend $400,000 (or more) in a difficult financial climate,” David Morse, a Wilson alum, wrote to the board of directors. “It is shameful that close to half a million dollars could be diverted to this frivolous act. Money that could be spent educating the students of this district will be thrown away.”
“As a proud alumni and taxpayer, I’m offended you want to change the name of my alma mater … If you choose to follow through with this proposed change, you should be mindful how the taxpayer will look at your next proposed bond measure,” said Class of 74’ Wilson graduate Connie Prescott Perry in a letter to the board.
