Story highlights Actress Julianne Moore and classmate launch petition to rename their Virginia high school

J.E.B. Stuart High School is named for a Confederate general

Moore: School's name represents "history of racism"

(CNN) The recent movement to scrub the American South of Confederate flags and names, which many view as pro-slavery symbols, has a new celebrity supporter: Julianne Moore.

The Academy Award-winning actress has teamed with movie producer Bruce Cohen in launching an online petition to change the name of J.E.B. Stuart High School in Falls Church, Virginia, arguing that the name represents a "history of racism."

Moore and Cohen both attended the school, named for a Confederate general and Virginia native who was killed in battle during the Civil War.

Actress Julianne Moore attends the "Maps to the Stars" premiere during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

"No one should have to apologize for the name of the public high school you attended and the history of racism it represents, as we and so many alumni of Stuart have felt the need to do our whole lives," they said in the petition.

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