|
Dallas Looking at Renaming 21 Schools
[DallasNews] Dallas ISD is researching the histories of Ben Franklin, Sam Houston, Thomas Jefferson and 17 other historical figures, looking into whether their connections with slavery or the Confederacy should prompt reconsideration of their names on DISD campuses.Apparently, there are no Dallas schools named for George Washington. "This was just a very quick review of looking at the biographies of the individuals," DISD chief of school leadership Stephanie Elizalde told trustees on Sept. 14. "And if there was any association with Confederacy ‐ not making a judgment for or against ‐ just if we saw Confederacy named in it, we then highlighted it. We are now in the process of doing a second [look]." Ben Franklin's biography had the word "confederate" in it? I wonder what the context was? Confederation of States? ...that list, which includes Texas revolutionaries and founders such as Sam Houston, James Bowie and William Travis, U.S. presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, and Dallas pioneers James Gaston and William Brown Miller. Elizalde acknowledged to trustees the difficulty in drawing a line on where to proceed. Why not just name them all after people of color? Barry Obama, Winifred Mandela, Huey Newton, Malcolm X, and Bill Clinton? Some of the schools' namesakes were involved with the Confederacy, but in lesser army ranks or non-combat roles. As examples, Elizalde mentioned John H. Reagan, the Confederacy's postmaster, and Nancy Cochran, who according to Elizalde's research, "encouraged her sons" to fight for the Confederacy. How about using the names of the Buffalo Soldiers or the Tuskegee Airmen? Or would that remind the snowflakes of their less-than-privileged status at that time in history? "I will not support a name change for Franklin since Benjamin Franklin clearly had many accomplishments that form the basis for why the school was named after him," Marshall wrote. "I don't believe this school was named after Franklin to send a signal of oppression and control." None of the schools named after those with segregationist leanings made the list. So the witch hunt is just beginning.  Foreman said several of her constituents had asked for William H. Atwell Law Academy to be included, since Atwell used his position as a federal district court judge in the late 1950's to stymie desegregation in Dallas schools.Wait - judges can be bad, too? Or just judges from 50 years ago? Also, Dallas City Council member Philip Kingston encouraged the reconsideration of W.T. White High School. That school was named after a long-time Dallas ISD superintendent who did not integrate the district after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1954 ruling Brown vs. Board of Education until forced by court order. Kingston said that White was honored with the naming while still in his role as the superintendent "because of his successful delay of desegregation." Schools to be Renamed 1. Albert Sidney Johnston Elementary School 2. William L. Cabell Elementary School 3. Stonewall Jackson Elementary School 4. Robert E. Lee Elementary School The schools listed below will require further research as their connection to the Confederacy varies. 1. Roger Q. Mills Elementary School 2. W. H. Gaston Middle School 3. Wilmer-Hutchins High School 4. James Bowie Elementary School 5. James S. Hogg Elementary School 6. John F. Peeler Elementary School 7. John H. Reagan Elementary School 8. Wilmer-Hutchins Elementary School Same guy, two schools. 9. James Madison High School 10.Benjamin Franklin Middle School 11.Thomas Jefferson High School 12.David G. Burnet Elementary School 13.Stephen C. Foster Elementary School This Foster? Stephen Collins Foster, known as "the father of American music", was an American songwriter known primarily for his parlor and minstrel music. Foster wrote over 200 songs; among his best-known are "Oh! Susanna", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home", "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "Old Black Joe", and "Beautiful Dreamer" 14.Nancy J. Cochran Elementary School 15.Sam Houston Elementary School 16.Sidney Lanier Elementary School 17.John Ireland Elementary School 18.Kleberg Elementary School 19.William B. Travis Elementary/Middle School 20.William Brown Miller Elementary School Posted by: Bobby 2017-09-19 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=497637 |