DOVER, Del. - Student protesters gathered outside the empty Caesar Rodney High School Wednesday, demanding change.
"They want to be looked at as the perfect school, but they're not. They're the opposite," said Sanaa Watts, a senior.
The school board met Tuesday night virtually, and approved the creation of a position for a coordinator of equity and diversity. But students say that is not enough. Watts says the school needs to do more than just hire someone to oversee diversity and inclusion, and went on to add that the school does not teach about Caesar Rodney's history as a slave owner. She believes the school should change the name immediately.
"We learn about the black man did this, the black man did that, we don't learn about oh the name of the school, he was a slave owner," Watts explained.
One recent graduate of Caesar Rodney told WBOC that the school essentially glossed over Rodney's history, and that recent news coverage about the removal of the statue in Wilmington made him look into it.
"I feel like they definitely haven't taught us enough about Caesar Rodney's background, his families background, because I've been going to Caesar Rodney School District since fifth grade, and never once did I know that his family were slave owners and that they basically had a plantation with over 200 slaves. I didn't know that until recently when they removed the statue," said Ezra Pendleton.
As of Wednesday at 5 p.m, the history of Caesar Rodney on the school's website does not make any mention of his life outside of his historic ride to Philadelphia.
WBOC reached out to the Caesar Rodney School District multiple times by phone and email for comment, but those requests went unanswered."
Central Delaware's NAACP president Anne Smith says she understands the students concerns about the school name, but that the first step is education.
"Before we start looking at renaming the building, I think it's more important to go in and do the internal things that makes it necessary for equitable and free education," said Smith, who added that the NAACP is ready and willing to help address these issues in local schools.
There is also a statue of Caesar Rodney on display at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., representing Delaware. WBOC reached out to the Delaware delegation and asked whether they believed the statue should remain or be removed. The released these statements to us:
Senator Chris Coons (D):
Senator Coons believes it’s important that we reckon with our history, but he also believes we need to recognize that removing or renaming certain statues, bases, or symbols isn’t going to resolve all of our problems. He believes we need to confront racism in all of its forms, from the job market to our judicial system, and that starts with legislation to reform policing, providing equitable access to education, healthcare, and housing, and much more.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D):
“As we deal with the issues of structural racism, we need to address both symbols and substance. We must recognize that symbols and statues can cause inspiration or pain. There are many symbols across the Capitol and across our state, such as those of the Confederacy, that cause pain. I unequivocally support the removal of those symbols both in Washington and in Delaware. And as we continue the hard work on our journey toward a more perfect union, I believe that it is time for Delawareans to decide which figures offer us inspiration rather than pain.”