San Francisco to change names of 44 schools, including Washington and Lincoln, in wake of anti-racism movement

The San Francisco school board has voted to change the name of Abraham Lincoln High School

Credit: AP

San Francisco will rename dozens of schools, including campuses named after former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, in the wake of anti-racism protests that shock the US.

The former presidents were among the historical figures deemed by the board members to have ties to racism or have “dishonorable legacies” in a nearly unanimous vote by the Californian city’s Board of Education.

The move follows a wave of Black Lives Matter protests that swept the country last summer in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd by Minnesota police officers, resulting in statues of Confederate leaders being torn down. 

“It’s a message to our families, our students and our community,” Mark Sanchez , a board member, said in the meeting, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s not just symbolic.”

A controversial 13-panel, 1,600-square foot mural, the "Life of Washington," on show at George Washington High School in San Francisco

Credit: AP

Schools have until April to determine 44 new names for their campuses, which will then be voted on by board members.

The new namesakes for the schools must adhere to a new set of guidelines, including that individuals honored must not have been slave owners or abetted in slavery or genocide, or are "known racists and/or white supremacists."

Washington and Jefferson were slave owners, while Lincoln appeared to make the list over his administration’s treatment of Native Americans. 

Other names included Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words to the national anthem; former presidents William McKinley and Herbert Hoover; Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere; and author Robert Louis Stevenson.

The decision in San Francisco resulted in anger from some policy makers, including Tom Cotton, Republican senator for Arkansas, who tweeted: “San Francisco can’t figure out how to safely open schools. But they have the time and energy to cancel Abraham Lincoln.”

Spring Utting, a parent of a student at Lowell High — another school set to be renamed — said she agreed and that the school board should instead be concentrating on how to bring students back to in-person learning during the pandemic. 

"Is this meant to distract parents so we don’t ask what the school reopening plan is? Do they have one?" Ms Utting told SFGATE. "Why isn’t that the first item on their agenda?"

Replacing signage for schools will cost approximately $440,000 (£320,000), Myong Leigh, Deputy Superintendent, said.