Backlash after San Francisco votes to rename Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson colleges

The decision San Francisco Schools Board to replace the names of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and other prominent historical figures from dozens of public schools is opposed by local residents, officials, and advocacy groups.

The San Francisco Board of Education voted 6-1 on Tuesday for a resolution calling for the removal of the names of those “who have participated in the submission and enslavement of people; or oppressed women and stunted social progress; or whose actions resulted in genocide; or who have otherwise severely restricted the chances of those of us having the right to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness, ”said the text the dissolution.

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The renaming process was led by a committee formed in 2018 to investigate the names of schools amid a national reckoning of races that followed the deadly white supremist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Schools to be renamed include Abraham Lincoln High School, George Washington High School, Dianne Feinstein Elementary, Roosevelt Middle School, Jefferson Elementary, and Alamo Elementary.

While Washington and Thomas Jefferson were chosen for being slave owners, Lincoln, best known for leading the US to defeat the Confederation and take action to abolish slavery, was named because of him reported Treatment of Native Americans.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) Name is on the list after the former San Francisco mayor allegedly ordered the replacement of a Confederate flag after it was demolished. the Sacramento Bee reports.

“This is an opportunity for our students to learn about the history of the names of our school, including potential new ones,” said Executive Chairwoman Gabriela López in a statement. “That resolution got into the school board after the attacks in Charlottesville, and we’re working with the rest of the country to dismantle symbols of racism and white supremacy. I’m curious to see what ideas the schools will come up with. ”

Schools have until April to propose new names that the board will vote on.

But the move has sparked criticism for a variety of reasons.

“This is a little joke. It’s almost like a parody of left activism, ”said Gerald Kanapathy, father of a kindergarten child at a school in San Francisco that is not on the list to be renamed The Associated Press.

Lope Yap Jr., vice president of the Alumni Association of George Washington High School in San Francisco, opposed the board’s decision.

“We believe that politics, whether socialist, conservative or independent, if you honor the truth in history, must be put aside,” said Yap The New York Post. “We don’t want to delete anything.”

“They forget that abolitionists praised Abraham Lincoln,” he told the point of sale.

After the vote, the Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed (D), slammed the decision and questioned the board’s priorities.

“I understand the meaning of the name of a school, and the name of a school should evoke a sense of pride in every student who walks through its doors, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation,” Breed said in a statement.

“What I can’t understand is why the school board is putting forward a plan to have all of these schools renamed by April if there isn’t a plan to have our children back in the classroom by then,” she said, as the schools always do are still closed due to the corona pandemic.

Now more than 9,000 People signed an online petition urging school boards to “stop wasting time and money renaming schools and focus on educating our children”.

Interest group families also for San Francisco on the other hand and said it was a top-down process where the board made the decision without properly consulting experts and the wider community.

The San Francisco Board of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Changing America.

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