1 day ago
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A federal judge has sided with the Virginia NAACP in its lawsuit against a county school board's reinstatement of Confederate military names to two schools, saying the decision discriminated against Black students and ordering the board to change the schools' monikers again.
In an opinion filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Virginia, Judge Michael F. Urbanski said the school board in Shenandoah County violated Black students' rights under the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, which forbids racial discrimination in state-supported institutions. The decision also violates the Equal Educational Opportunities Act, the court found.
Confederate army officers' names are "vestiges" of Shenandoah County's segregationist history that required separate schools for Black and white students.
"The Confederate names were restored with complete awareness of their historic legacy and ongoing discriminatory impact," Urbanski wrote. "In the court's view, the affirmative act of reinstating these vestiges of segregation is far more problematic than a passive failure to remove a long-standing name or symbol."
The judge ordered the board to settle on new school names "on a racially nondiscriminatory basis with all deliberate speed."
#confederate
In an opinion filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Virginia, Judge Michael F. Urbanski said the school board in Shenandoah County violated Black students' rights under the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, which forbids racial discrimination in state-supported institutions. The decision also violates the Equal Educational Opportunities Act, the court found.
Confederate army officers' names are "vestiges" of Shenandoah County's segregationist history that required separate schools for Black and white students.
"The Confederate names were restored with complete awareness of their historic legacy and ongoing discriminatory impact," Urbanski wrote. "In the court's view, the affirmative act of reinstating these vestiges of segregation is far more problematic than a passive failure to remove a long-standing name or symbol."
The judge ordered the board to settle on new school names "on a racially nondiscriminatory basis with all deliberate speed."
#confederate
1 month ago
Washington State University Athletics and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have entered into a five-year, $8.43 million partnership that will put a Colville Tribes patch on every Cougar uniform — the largest annual sponsorship agreement in WSU Athletics history and the first deal of its kind in the Pac-12.
The agreement calls for all WSU uniforms to carry a Colville Tribes jersey patch, one of the most extensive uniform integrations anywhere in college sports. Beyond the on-field branding, the partnership includes a $250,000 donation to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund in its first year, youth clinics in tribal communities, regional basketball development programs, and an AAU tribal tournament. WSU also plans a video series documenting the relationships between its student-athletes and tribal youth, along with designated Colville Tribes entitlement games across multiple sports and Nike N7 games for the men's and women's basketball programs.
The deal was negotiated with help from Playfly Sports, which serves as WSU's multimedia rights partner.
The new athletics partnership extends a relationship between WSU and the Colville Tribes that dates back to a formal agreement in 1997 and reflects more than a century of engagement between the university and the region. WSU President Betsy Cantwell framed the deal as an extension of shared priorities around education and community investment.
"At the heart of this partnership is a shared belief in investing in young people, helping them become exceptional students, future leaders, and ultimately bringing them back home to strengthen the communities they love," Cantwell said. "That alignment of values is what made the Colville Tribes the right partner for this historic opportunity."
The agreement calls for all WSU uniforms to carry a Colville Tribes jersey patch, one of the most extensive uniform integrations anywhere in college sports. Beyond the on-field branding, the partnership includes a $250,000 donation to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund in its first year, youth clinics in tribal communities, regional basketball development programs, and an AAU tribal tournament. WSU also plans a video series documenting the relationships between its student-athletes and tribal youth, along with designated Colville Tribes entitlement games across multiple sports and Nike N7 games for the men's and women's basketball programs.
The deal was negotiated with help from Playfly Sports, which serves as WSU's multimedia rights partner.
The new athletics partnership extends a relationship between WSU and the Colville Tribes that dates back to a formal agreement in 1997 and reflects more than a century of engagement between the university and the region. WSU President Betsy Cantwell framed the deal as an extension of shared priorities around education and community investment.
"At the heart of this partnership is a shared belief in investing in young people, helping them become exceptional students, future leaders, and ultimately bringing them back home to strengthen the communities they love," Cantwell said. "That alignment of values is what made the Colville Tribes the right partner for this historic opportunity."
1 month ago
Jun. 30—PULLMAN — A day before Washington State University enters a new era in the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference, the Cougars introduced a new partnership.
WSU and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation announced Tuesday a new five-year deal worth $8.43 million, including a $250,000 donation to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund in the first year. It's the largest annual sponsorship in WSU athletics history.
The Cougars will wear a new patch on their jerseys for football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and soccer.
"As we enter a new era of the Pac-12 — which begins tomorrow, by the way — we do so with a new look," WSU athletic director Jon Haarlow said during a news conference. "A look that represents far more than just branding. It represents a partnership rooted in shared values, mutual respect, commitment to developing future generations across Eastern Washington and throughout the Pacific Northwest. We've said it internally, we've said it publicly, that our intention is to be the leaders in the new Pac-12. Leadership requires innovation. It requires thinking differently. It requires building strategic partnerships that align with who we are as an institution."
"At the heart of this partnership is a shared belief in investing in young people, helping them become exceptional students, future leaders, and ultimately bringing them back home to strengthen the communities they love," WSU President Betsy Cantwell is quoted as saying in a press release. "That alignment of values is what made the Colville Tribes the right partner for this historic opportunity."
WSU and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation announced Tuesday a new five-year deal worth $8.43 million, including a $250,000 donation to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund in the first year. It's the largest annual sponsorship in WSU athletics history.
The Cougars will wear a new patch on their jerseys for football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and soccer.
"As we enter a new era of the Pac-12 — which begins tomorrow, by the way — we do so with a new look," WSU athletic director Jon Haarlow said during a news conference. "A look that represents far more than just branding. It represents a partnership rooted in shared values, mutual respect, commitment to developing future generations across Eastern Washington and throughout the Pacific Northwest. We've said it internally, we've said it publicly, that our intention is to be the leaders in the new Pac-12. Leadership requires innovation. It requires thinking differently. It requires building strategic partnerships that align with who we are as an institution."
"At the heart of this partnership is a shared belief in investing in young people, helping them become exceptional students, future leaders, and ultimately bringing them back home to strengthen the communities they love," WSU President Betsy Cantwell is quoted as saying in a press release. "That alignment of values is what made the Colville Tribes the right partner for this historic opportunity."
