The Lafayette Trail advocated in favor of the D.C. Council bill to add the name of George Pointer to Lafayette Park in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of D.C. We support the renaming efforts to acknowledge the racial displacement that took place in 1928 to build the White-only Lafayette Elementary School and the dire consequences it had on the Pointer family and the affected African American community.
In 1928, when the school was built, the United States had just experienced a renewed and widespread interest in the Marquis de Lafayette because of the centennial of his Triumphal Return of 1824-1825. Many towns across the nation published local history books mentioning the Frenchman’s visit to their towns. The popularity he enjoyed around that time may explain why his name was selected as the school’s namesake. The intentions of the school builders stand sharply in contrast with what Lafayette believed and stood for throughout his entire life. Lafayette was a lifelong abolitionist and advocate for universal human rights. He confronted many Founding Fathers as early as 1783 about the evil of slavery and made numerous contributions to national coherence throughout his life, in the hope of making this country a more perfect union.
Julien Pierre Icher, Gaithersburg
The writer is president
of the Lafayette Trail.
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