Latinx activists protest renaming Thomas Jefferson Middle School after Barack and Michelle Obama

"Waukegan Latinx activists protest renaming Thomas Jefferson Middle School after Barack and Michelle Obama":

https://abc7chicago.com/waukegan-pu...ferson-middle-school-daniel-webster/10459946/

Waukegan Latinx activists protest renaming Thomas Jefferson Middle School after Barack and Michelle Obama
By John Garcia and Cate Cauguiran
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 11:35PM

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- Waukegan's Board of Education met Tuesday night as it considers changing the names of two of its schools, Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Daniel Webster Middle School.

Jefferson, who was the nation's third president, owned slaves. Webster was a former senator who supported slavery. Renaming committees were formed for each school, and included people in the community, students and staff.

The school board heard concerns from the public Tuesday night over one of the finalists in the running to be the new name for Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

The country's first Black President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama, is one of the top three choices for the school's new name, but is drawing opposition in the area with a large Latinx population.

RELATED: Waukegan renaming 2 middle schools due to namesakes' ties to slavery

"I will not be part of renaming a school after someone who did not and does not represent the undocumented community," said District 60 school board member Edgar Castellanos. Castellanos said he came to the United States undocumented as a child.

Waukegan activist Julie Contreras works with a group that runs shelters for undocumented children at the U.S./Mexico border.

She said former President Obama failed to deliver on promises to help the immigrant population.

Contreras, who leads United Giving Hope, is organizing protests against naming the school for the Obamas.

"From the time Barack Obama became President until 2017 when he left, he today is still the highest ranking president with deportations in our nation," Contreras said. "We feel that Barack Obama did disservice to us. He denied us, and he didn't stop the deportations, the way he promised."

"I personally don't object to the name, but I have to be aware of the concerns," said school board president Brandon Ewing.

Members of the area's Latinx community held a protest outside the meeting's doors Tuesday night.

"If you're removing the name of Thomas Jefferson - one oppressor - the name of Obama is another oppressor and our families do not want to see that name," Contreras said.

Mauricio Sanchez's father was deported in 2015 under the Obama administration.

"It was something very sad," Sanchez said. "We couldn't even say goodbye to our dad. We just hoped for him to be able to get out."

His dad is still in deportation hearings to this day. The Sanchez family said the Obama name is a reminder of their current struggles.

Others who spoke about the name change endorsed another popular choice to rename the school after: Civil Rights icon John Lewis.

A final decision has not yet been made.​

 

Obama has been officially cancelled

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/0...le-school-john-lewis-barack-obama-objections/

excerpt

Waukegan School Board Votes To Rename Thomas Jefferson Middle School For John Lewis, After Suggestion Of Barack Obama Draws Objections
By Jermont TerryApril 13, 2021 at 11:10 pm

. . . At the Tuesday school board meeting, those opposed to the Obama name offered alternatives.

“I did some research on African-American inventors. Madam Walker – she’s a self-made millionaire. She invented the hairbrush,” one man said.

A woman fired back at that suggestion: “So please don’t teach us about Black history by reading by reading five, six names. Madam C.J. Walker did a nice thing doing hair. but Barack Obama did a lot of things to save people lives.”

Yet when it came time to vote, the names were narrowed down to Barack or Michelle Obama, or civil rights icon and late U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

Many felt President Obama is better known to middle-schoolers. But board members believe Lewis paved the way for Obama and voted in his favor.

The name change goes into effect July 1, at which point Thomas Jefferson Middle School will become John Lewis Middle School.

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