Jefferson Elementary School in South Orange, NJ, will have a new name after the district spent a year trying to remove Thomas Jefferson’s name from it because he owned slaves.
From Fox News:
Jefferson Elementary School in South Orange, New Jersey, is being renamed to Delia Bolden Elementary School to honor the first Black woman to graduate high school in the area, according to NJ Advance Media.The name was selected by the student body from a list of choices. Many of the proposed names were of individuals related to the local area while others had no reference to a person living or dead.Alternative choices included “Ruth Bader Ginsberg Elementary School” and “New Legacy Elementary School.”The school claims the initiative was proposed and led by students. However, faculty members have been vocal in their support and assistance to the cause.”I want to make that point that Thomas Jefferson owned over 600 slaves,” board member Qawi Telesford said at a June meeting on the issue. “He freed two while he was alive and seven after he died, which basically means I have a 1.5% chance of being free in Thomas Jefferson’s world. So, I am not thankful to him. I am thankful to the people who made sure that I could actually be free and be on the board with you today.”
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