Press
These articles about our cause are organized in chronological order with the newest pieces appearing at the top.
East Cobb News
December 10, 2021
Confederate symbols forum incluldes Wheeler Name Change group
"A group of students and others advocating to change the name of Wheeler High School in East Cobb will take part in a panel discussion on the Confederate Symbols movement sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center."
Atlanta CW69
May 1st, 2021
"Several students mentioned the school was named after a Confederate general long after the Civil War. “It was named in the ’60’s in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement,” McGhee said. They also argued the name doesn’t meet the guidelines of the county’s naming policy, which indicates the person must have made a significant contribution to the community."
11Alive News
April 30th, 2021
Students push to rename Wheeler High School
*Note: The anchor states that the school was named in 1965. However, our research shows that the name was actually chosen in 1964, but given the context of the general time period and the building pressure to integrate, it is still clear what the name was intended to represent
Cobb County Courier
Wheeler name change supporters refused spot on agenda, so they took it to the public comments
April 24th, 2021
“Wheeler Name Change supporters spoke the entire 30-minute duration dedicated in school board meetings to hearing comments from the public."
WABE Atlanta (NPR)
Push to rename some Cobb schools causes conflict between board members
April 20th, 2021
“At this point, we have 12 emails that have been ignored, meaning that they have produced no response by members of this board,” she [Zoe Shepard] said at a meeting in February. “Let it be clear that in the event that an issue becomes one-sided, it is a result of the actions of members of this board who choose to be silent and non-responsive.”
Cobb County Courier
Wheeler name change supporters plead school board to take action
March 20th, 2021
“After a nearly year-long campaign, a petition with nearly 5,000 signatures, numerous emails made to school board members, a town hall, and much more work, the students expressed frustration at the board for ignoring their calls to change their school’s name."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: Cobb school board should listen to students and rename Wheeler High School
March 18th, 2021
“It is imperative the Cobb County School District act on its commitment to foster a welcoming learning environment for all students." -Sonaj Sanders.
Cobb County Courier
Wheeler name change coalition stresses cooperation with school board
February 27th, 2021
“The main point here is not about Joseph Wheeler as an individual. You could debate for a long time whether he was a good person. You can debate the morality here but that’s a separate issue,” said Rachel Toole, another principal in the group.
East Cobb News
Wheeler group advocating name change to hold town hall
February 17th, 2021
"Their research shows that the Cobb school board named the then-new high school on Holt Road at a time when the school district was beginning racial integration."
Cobb County Courier
Dissolution of school naming committee sparks conflict on school board
January 3rd, 2021
"In 1965, Cobb was pressured by civil rights groups locally and statewide into integrating its schools. This is also the same year Wheeler was opened."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion: If Cobb cares about students of color, it will rename Wheeler High School
December 22nd, 2020
"The first yearbook that can be found online or in the high school library is from 1966 and states on page six: 'This is the place which bears the name of the Confederate general, Joseph E Wheeler.' That commentary makes it upsettingly clear which chapter of Wheeler’s life our high school commemorates."
Cobb County Courier
December 19th, 2020
"It’s clearly a right and wrong issue,” Hugh said. “We know what the Confederacy fought for... so if you have a Confederate name on a diverse school, what kind of message are you sending?”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cobb students continue push to remove Confederate general's name from school
December 17th, 2020
"Students at the center of the campaign to change the name of Wheeler High School aren’t ready to give up their fight even after Cobb County Board of Education members pulled the plug on their proposal."
CBS News
December 16th, 2020
"It's something that [Cobb County School Board] won't even recognize or talk about anymore," McGhee said. "And that's why it's such a significant issue."
The Boston Globe
Celtics' Jaylen Brown petitioning to remove Confederate general's name from his GA. high school
December 14th, 2020
"Jaylen Brown is working on an effort to change the name of Wheeler High School, his alma mater, in Marietta, GA."
Student Journalist Article
December 8th, 2020
Student journalist Madeleine Deisen from Georgetown University wrote an article about the name change movement, you can view it here.
Yahoo! Sports
Celtics' Jaylen Brown joins campaign to remove Confederate general's name from his old high school
December 4th, 2020
"The Boston Celtics wing tweeted a public endorsement of the campaign to change the name of Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he won a state championship before continuing his career at Cal."
CelticsWire
Jaylen Brown is taking the fight to systemic racism, but he wants your help
December 4th, 2020
"Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. I think it’s time to move to the future, so I tweeted out a link. If you guys can put some some some some power behind it, and retweet … it out, spread it around, hopefully we can get this done.” - Jaylen Brown
MassLive
December 4th, 2020
“Being in this platform, in this seat that I sit in, is more about just being a basketball player and entertaining people. I got real responsibility. I got communities, my family, other communities, people all over the world who are looking at us as role models. I think it’s time we started carrying that with us and it’s encouraged to run away from that responsibility and I would, once again, like to challenge that.” - Jaylen Brown
WSB-TV Atlanta
November 25th, 2020
WSB-TV did a segment about the Wheeler Name Change during the nightly news, you can view it on Youtube here.
Fox5 ATL News
Cobb County Schools scraps committee to rename Wheeler, Walton high schools
November 24th, 2020
"As elected officials, you need to allow us to initiate this conversation so we can explore it together," Sydney Spessard said.
11Alive News
Students fighting to change name of Wheeler High School say board is ignoring their wishes
November 23rd, 2020
11Alive covered our story in a news article and in a video segment from the nightly news.
"This is such a clear injustice, we really need to do something to change it, because the students deserve to have a name that represents them," said one Wheeler student named Nina.
East Cobb News
Cobb school board member rips colleagues for ‘systemic racism’
November 19th, 2020
"'It seems that you are actively working to silence what’s been started,' said Sydney Spessard, a senior. 'It’s shameful that you don’t have the decency to follow through to create the committee.'"
Northwest Georgia News
Cobb School Board Dissolves Committee to Reevaluate Confederate Named Facilities
November 19th, 2020
"'I came here tonight to urge the formation of the approved committee, only to find that it had been dissolved earlier tonight,' said senior Nina Kesava...'All of your represent us and I am extremely disappointed in the one-sentence responses, that is, if we get a response at all, and the clear stalling of this important issue.'"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cobb Scraps Committee to Rename Wheeler, Walton high schools
November 19th, 2020
"The school was not named to honor a general,' she [Caroline Hugh, a senior] said. 'It was named to intimidate and ostracize, to display hostility towards the new (Black) students in the 60s and to misrepresent our students today.'"
Marietta Daily Journal
Wheeler students calling on district to "reevaluate" school name
October 30th, 2020
“We just want the dialogue started,” said Latin teacher Cameron Ward, a Wheeler graduate and a faculty adviser for the students seeking the name change.
East Cobb News
Wheeler student leaders seek 'dialogue' on school name change
October 28th, 2020
"She [Caroline Hugh, a senior] said 'they just want it to be a dialogue. That was the whole problem in 1965—people at the top deciding.'”