An elementary school in Richmond, Virginia that was named after a slave-holding Confederate general will now be named after the first black president of the United States.
After six out of the seven Richmond School Board members voted to change the name of J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School, several options floated around, including Oliver Hill Elementary (named after a local civil rights attorney) or Henry Marsh Elementary (named after Richmond’s first black mayor). But ultimately, the decision was made to rename the school Barack Obama Elementary School.
The lone vote against the decision of renaming the school after the 44th president was Kenya Gibson, who was in favor of delaying the vote in order to name the school after a more local figure. Gibson told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Richmond is “about history and we have so many great local stories to tell. Our local stories are so important to cherish.”
Towns and cities across the country have entered major debates in recent years over removing Confederate monuments and renaming schools or other public buildings that previously honored Confederate leaders. The issue has gained nationwide attention over the past few years as activists, lawmakers, and educational institutions have reckoned with the history displayed around the country.
Richmond is not the first school board to vote in favor of renaming a school after our former president. Last year, a Mississippi school board voted to change an elementary school’s name from Jefferson Davis (the president of the Confederacy) to instead honor Barack Obama.
Of the 100 Confederate-named schools still left in the country, Virginia currently makes up 15 of them, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. And because of Barack Obama Elementary School, that number is one fewer than last year.