The Persistence of Confederate, Enslaver, and Segregationist Namesakes in U.S. Public Schools: Data Supplement

Data from AERA Open study entitled: The Persistence of Confederate,
Enslaver, and Segregationist Namesakes in U.S. Public Schools: A Critical Quantitative Toponymic
Analysis<br><br>Abstract of study follows: <br><br>In this quantitative toponymic
study, we examine U.S. public schools named after Confederates, enslavers, and
segregationists (CESs). We find that 4.7% of all public schools (n=4,172) had
CES namesakes, although this number declined slightly after the BLM/George
Floyd protests in the summer of 2020. Most of these are named after enslavers,
while 467 are named after Confederates and 210 after segregationists. While
nearly one-quarter are named after presidents, the remaining three-quarters of
namesakes have no such claim on American history. More than half of schools
with CES namesakes reproduce their embedding geographies, highlighting how
schools amplify the toponyms of other geographies and public spaces. Of
particular concern, Black students are particularly concentrated in schools
with Confederate namesakes. We discuss the potential harm of these “symbols”
and conclude with policy implications. Our online supplement provides our
database to support future work in this area.