In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a video of a community activist calling out members of the school board for their racism has gone viral. The board was meeting to discuss a resolution form a committee to change the name of Lee High School, named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee. This is Gary Chambers Jr. addressing board member Connie Bernard after he noticed she was online shopping during the meeting.
Gary Chambers Jr.: “Robert E. Lee was a brutal slave master. Not only did, when he whooped the slaves, he say, 'Lay it on ’em hard,' after he said, 'Lay it on ’em hard,' he said, 'Put brine on them,' so to burn them. That’s what Robert E. Lee did. And you sit your arrogant self in here and sit on there shopping, while the pain and the hurt of the people of this community is on display, because you don’t give a damn, and you should resign!”
Just days before the meeting, Bernard defended the name of the high school — and Robert E. Lee — telling community members to look into his history. On Thursday, the board voted unanimously, after a lengthy debate, to form a special committee to come up with alternative names for the 61-year-old high school. It was a striking reversal for the school board, which in 2016 voted to keep the school named Lee High, but excised the “Robert E.” part of the name.