Speakers urge FCPS to change name of Henry Clay High because Clay owned slaves

Two people, including a teacher, urged Fayette County Board of Education members on Wednesday to change the name of Lexington’s Henry Clay High School because Clay owned enslaved people.

One of the speakers noted that the district’s naming policy calls for a prominent figure of “good character,” disqualifying Clay because he owned more than 140 enslaved people.

“With the renovation of a new building, you all have the opportunity to change the name,” said teacher Rian Davis. “Take the necessary action to change the name of Henry Clay High School.’’

Clay, perhaps the most prominent lawmaker in Kentucky’s history, served in both the U.S. House and Senate in the 1800s. He also ran unsuccessfully for president three times.

Despite owning enslaved people throughout his life, Clay expressed some anti-slavery positions, though not outright abolition. He helped establish the discredited American Colonization Society, which aimed to repatriate freed Black people to Africa.

Justin Royal, the other speaker who urged the school board on Wednesday to rename Henry Clay High, noted that Clay “vigorously opposed abolition.”

“He deprived Black people of even learning to read, let alone the educational process,” Royal said. “We must stop honoring the oppressor.”

Jim Clark, executive director of the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, told the Herald-Leader on Thursday, “It is true that Henry Clay enslaved more than 140 people during his lifetime. It is also true that his legacy as a statesman had a profound and lasting impact on the United States.”

“Clay helped define the political and economic direction of the early republic. Since Clay’s era, Kentucky has continued to play an outsized and influential role in Washington, producing national leaders and shaping key debates. Acknowledging Clay’s contributions, however, does not require ignoring the central contradiction of his life: his participation in and defense of slavery,’ Clark said.

“Whether or not his name remains on a school, that decision does not erase his influence as a statesman and orator who shaped the nation’s future more than most of his contemporaries. If anything, the debate itself may create meaningful opportunities to learn more about Henry Clay, grapple with the complexities of his life, and thoughtfully consider how we choose to commemorate the past.”

According to the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation website, Clay “enslaved over 140 Black individuals. These men, women, and children were more than laborers used to build wealth for the Clay family — they were human beings with names, families, hopes, and strength.

Ashland’s grandeur was built on their backs. From raising hemp and livestock to cleaning the mansion and cooking its meals, enslaved people made every aspect of life at Ashland possible.’’

Fayette County Public Schools’ Henry Clay High School website reads: “Our high school was named in honor of the great Kentuckian and national statesman Henry Clay. The oldest public high school in Lexington, Henry Clay High originally opened on Main Street in 1928. The school moved to its current Fontaine Road facility in 1970 and underwent a complete renovation in 2006.”

“Replacing a 55-year-old structure on the Fontaine Road site, the new building and reconfigured campus will bolster the innovative teaching and learning for which Henry Clay is known,” the website said.

“An additional 100,000 square feet of area, natural daylight in all classrooms, secure outdoor instructional spaces, increased parking and stack space, upgraded technology, and sustainable building systems will support about 2,500 administrators, teachers, and students. The new school is scheduled to open in fall 2028.”

School board members generally don’t respond to speakers during public comment at meetings. District officials did not immediately comment Thursday.

This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 7:53 AM.