Clarence H. Fielder deserves a school in his name

In this time of contested history, it has become difficult to choose an appropriate way to recognize individuals. People in the past lived out the ideas and culture of their time. Few rose above them. The Spanish conquistador Oñate was no exception, and attaching his name to one of our high schools is now considered by some to condone or even celebrate his many violent actions.

On Aug. 5, when the Las Cruces School Board decided on a new name for Oñate High School, they wanted to choose a culturally neutral entity. They manifestly succeeded, as “Organ Mountain High School” celebrates an entity which does not exist; it is the Organ Mountain range. And while it is true that “Organ Mountain” never killed anybody, as the school board president said, we lost a rare opportunity to honor a local hero and educator by re-naming the school after Clarence H. Fielder.

Fielder was born in Las Cruces in 1928, a grandchild of early Black pioneers who built Phillips Chapel, which served as a segregated school for young Black adults from 1925 to 1934. Fielder was educated in and became a celebrated teacher from 1949 in the Las Cruces Public Schools and at New Mexico State University (NMSU) until he retired in 2005. Mr. Fielder said, “It is important for people to know their heritage. It’s important for people to remember from whence they came.”

An historian and teacher, Fielder was educated at the segregated schools for Black children in Las Cruces. The first Booker T. Washington School was just a shack on Solano. Later he graduated from the new (1934) Booker T. Washington, where all Black children attended grades 1 through 12. Mr. Fielder earned his B.A. from New Mexico A& M College (now NMSU).

In the U.S. Army, he fought in Korea and received the Purple Heart and Silver Star. Afterwards, he taught at Booker T. Washington, Court Junior High, and Alameda Elementary and Junior High Schools. Mr. Fielder earned his M.A. in education from NMSU. He was instrumental in creating the Black History Program at NMSU, where he taught from 1970 until 2005.

His positions and awards include: Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education; Board of Directors, Las Cruces Public Schools Foundation; President of the Doña Ana County Historical Society; State Teacher of the Year Award; Outstanding Educational Services Award; “Griot Award” from the African American Museum, and he was recognized twice by the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs for outstanding individual and lifetime accomplishments

Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said, “Clarence Fielder was an icon of our community. “

When a community chooses to honor those who have made extraordinary impacts in its history, they should first look close to home. Mr. Clarence H. Fielder is bigger than a mountain and deserves to have a school named in his honor. The place to look for a name is right here.