Story at a glance
- T.C. Williams High School is the Virginia school the movie “Remember The Titans” is based on.
- T.C. Williams was a former superintendent with a known past of supporting segregation.
- The school will now be known as Alexandria City High School.
T.C. Williams High School, the Virginia school the iconic Denzel Washington movie “Remember The Titans” was based upon, announced it will be changing its name due to the name-holder’s racist past.
The Alexandria, Va., high school was named after its former superintendent Thomas Chambliss Williams, who was a known “supporter of perpetuating segregation, and a man who did everything possible to slow down the process of integration in Alexandria,” according to the school’s website.
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
In 1971, Alexandria consolidated all of its high schools into T.C. Williams High School. The school’s football coach, Herman Boone, who was Black, then worked toward integrating the football team amid flaring racial tensions at the school. This ultimately became the subject of the 2000 dramatized biographical film “Remember The Titans,” starring Washington. Boone died Dec. 18, 2019 at the age of 84.
Following the film’s release and renewed attention to the 1971 team, the high school became somewhat of a landmark in the fight for racial equality. During his 2008 run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, Barack Obama, who went on to become the first Black president of the United States, held a rally at the school.
The school will be officially renamed as Alexandria City High School in July.
READ MORE STORIES ON EQUALITY FROM CHANGING AMERICA
THE SUPREME COURT COULD DEAL A MAJOR BLOW TO MINORITY VOTERS
BIDEN ADVISER REPORTEDLY SAYS WHITE HOUSE WILL START REPARATIONS TO BLACK COMMUNITY ‘NOW’
EARLY STUDY FINDS KILLINGS BY POLICE DECLINED AFTER BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS
EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE DEREK CHAUVIN TRIAL OVER GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH
WOMEN OF COLOR ARE TIPPING THE BALANCE OF POWER IN U.S. CITIES
changing america copyright.
