TAMPA, Fla — Tucked in the heart of West Tampa, you'll find two schools named after men well-versed in fighting for progress.
"[Dr.] Ernest Everett Just was Phi Beta Kappa at Dartmouth. He was class valedictorian that wasn't the grace to walk the stage as class valedictorian," said Al Sheriff, "G.V. Stewart, which is the middle school right next door to Ernest Everett Just, was the first African American assistant superintendent in Hillsborough County, and he was the one who fought to get this new school named after Ernest Everett Just."
Sheriff is the leader of the Pi Iota chapter of Omega Psi Phi, Inc.—a historic Black fraternity.
He told ABC Action News that Dr. Just is credited as a founder of the overall fraternity and Garland Stewart is credited as a founder of the Tampa chapter.
Considering that rich history, it only stands to reason that when plans were made to close Just Elementary School in 2023—the community took up the fight for progress by working to preserve these beacons of Black history.
"We fought over a year, and we got great news," said Sheriff.
In late February after meeting with the community and a local task force, Hillsborough County Public Schools announced that it would be rebuilding Just Elementary School and Stewart Middle Magnet School.
Both campuses are set to open in 2027.
"These are the first new schools that will be built in the urban core since Blake [high school] was built nearly 30 years ago," said HCPS Board member Henry "Shake" Washington.
It's an announcement that signals the community's commitment to progress and one that was especially important for Sheriff—and other members of the historic fraternity.
And it is with that legacy in mind that Sheriff and other chapter members say they will continue to push forward with their mentorship work for kids in these schools and others across this community.
"It allows us to continue to shine a light of Omega and for kids to actually see people that look like them and historically it's a good concept," said Sheriff.
