Your middle school is named after *who*?
Man, look, sometimes you hear somethin' that just makes you tilt your head and say, "Now, *that's* the real Nashville, y'all — before the neon and after." Today, that somethin' is a question from *Curious Nashville* that's been rattling around my mind: "Why is J.T. Moore Middle School named after an openly racist segregationist — and could it be changed?" See, J.T. Moore was a long-time superintendent of Nashville schools, and by all accounts, he was a vocal proponent of segregation, even after Brown v. Board of Education. He stood in the way of progress, plain and simple, and it makes you wonder how we let something like that just… continue.
### Why This Matters for Nashville
Now, a lot of folks who've lived here a while, they might know the name, but maybe not the history behind it. And that's the point, ain't it? Our city's identity, especially in North Nashville and places like Jefferson Street, is built on the shoulders of folks who fought tooth and nail for justice. To have a school, a place where our children learn and grow, bearing the name of someone who actively opposed that justice? It just don't sit right.
* This isn't just about a name; it's about the values we want to instill in our kids in places like Hillsboro-West End. * It brings up important conversations about how we remember history in our city, especially when it comes to the Civil Rights Movement. * It's a chance for the community, from the parents in Green Hills to the teachers and students, to really decide what kind of legacy we're building for the future.
This ain't the first time Nashville's grappled with these kinds of questions, and it surely won't be the last. But it's a good reminder that history ain't always pretty, and sometimes, you gotta clean house to make room for a brighter future. We're a city that's always evolving, always fixing to be better, and acknowledging these things is part of that journey.
That's the real Nashville, y'all — before the neon and after.
The whole MiTL crew talks about stuff like this every morning. Check it out live at mornings.live.