APS renames Grady HS, Brown MS to represent values of the community

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    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — A change in underway in Atlanta Public Schools system as they announce the renaming of two metro Atlanta schools.

Brown Middle School will now be known as Herman J. Russell West End Academy, and Grady High School as Midtown High School. The change becomes effective with the 2021-2022 school year.

During the summer months of civil unrest, many communities pushed for the renaming of the Grady, which is located in the heart of Midtown near Piedmont Park.

“The former school names paid homage to men who, based on their speeches and writings, supported slavery, secession, or segregation. In changing the names, the ABOE intends to ensure Atlanta Public Schools has buildings named after people who represent the values of the District’s constituents – its students, parents, families and staff,” said the school system in a press release.

The decision to move forward with renaming the schools took place during a Dec. 14 Atlanta Board of Education meeting.

Historical Context of Grady HS name:

Grady High began as a Boys High School, one of the first schools established by APS in 1872. In 1947, it was named after Henry W. Grady, a famous journalist who was managing editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was a white supremacist.

Historical Context Brown MS name:

Brown Middle was originally named after Georgia Governor Joseph Emerson Brown, a firm believer in slavery and Southern states’ rights and a leading secessionist, who led Georgia into the Confederacy. Once a former APS high school, Brown Middle now serves students in grades sixth through eighth.

Herman J. Russell graduated from historic David T. Howard High School, which closed in 1976 but was reopened by the District as a middle school in August. He was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded H. J. Russell & Company, the largest minority-owned real estate and construction business in the United States. He died in 2014.

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