By Karl Cameron
Special To The Carolinian
A Ligon Legacy Committee, formulated by Wake County Public School Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor, has had two meetings to “Provide cultural insight, historical context, and community perspective in telling the story of J.W. Ligon Jr./Sr. High School and provide inspiration for the reimagined Ligon Middle School.” The Committee is composed of the WCPSS Superintendent, two WCPSS Board members, two City Council Members, three Ligon Middle School Students, WCPSS Staff (School, Facilities), five J.W. Ligon Alumni, two County Commissioners, three Ligon Middle School Staff Members, two Ligon Middle School Parents, and the Design Team and Historian.
The Committee is looking at Three Preliminary Design Concepts: Scheme A: Aligning With Haywood Street; Scheme B: Facing MLK Jr. Boulevard; and Scheme C: Facing the Original J.W. Ligon Campus. None of these concepts will have the school rebuilt facing Lenoir Street. What will now be facing Lenoir Street will be the ballfields. Noteably missing was the inclusion of a Pavilion honoring the J.W. Ligon Jr./Sr. High Legacy, which was mentioned in Listening Sessions leading up to the committee formulations.
The initial meeting was held at John Chavis Community Center, 505 MLK, Jr. Blvd. on Aril 21st with 24-attendees. Committee Members were given one-minute each to introduce themselves, and answer the question: What does success look like in 20 years for the Ligon re-build project?
Committee members expressed that the legacy must be inherent to the school in a way that cannot be removed (plaque),, painted over or covered up later. There should be a palpable understanding of where you are, furthermore: If WCPSS staff and design tem incorporates ideas of committee members, the end product would be a school that honors history.
Another notable comment was, “We need to honor the past while visioning for the future. There are still open wounds, and the community wants to be heard in the process. There are generations of young learners that provide innovation. Students need a space that represents community focus and centers on all that is great.”
Dr. Taylor outline Committee members Responsibilities as follows: To endeavor to attend one meeting per month over the next six months, Serve as a positive sounding board for ideas related to aesthetics, naming, memorialization and cultural representation through design elements, Connect the historian with other alumni, community members, and local historians, Share updates with others, encourage participation and help build trust and transparency, provide feedback on community concerns or questions, and participate respectively and collaboratively: all members are valued.
When the Committee met on May 13th at the John Chavis Community Center they viewed takeaways from the first meeting, including that emphasis should be on Black excellence as a foundation, but shared excellence going forward, and that the community wants tactile connection to the past, and not abstract ideas. The Committee focus is on experiences that can become physical space.
Concept Design Updates the meeting were n Scheme A and Scheme B by LS3P Associates. Scheme C: Facing the Original J.W. Ligon Campus, appears to be a lesser consideration.
There are also things the Committee needs to know in the process, including names of individuals (living or deceased) tied to: Teaching and administration, Student Leadership, Athletics and Arts, and the 1971-1973 transition period. Also, names of families with multiple generations connected to Ligon, and specific memories tied to physical spaces: Entryways, Classrooms, Gymnasium, Auditorium, Outdoor spaces.
The committee also wants to know, How to distribute an Alumni Questionaire? Where to distribute the questionnaire? Could one place be at the Annual J.W. Ligon Alumni Reunion set for July 4th at the First Cosmopolitan Baptist Church Fellowship Hall? This cannot be the only method for information gathering. The committee must offer additional options for community input.
The committee’s next meeting date is June 10th. Future meetings will be held September 2026 and November 2026.
