S.F. might change 44 school names, renouncing Washington, Lincoln and even Dianne Fei

I figure they'll name at least some of them after radical Leftists like Che Guevara... You know, the murderous, psychopathic, revolutionary... Or for some child molesting LGBTPDQRSTUV sort... that sort of thing.
 
T. A. Gardner said:
I figure they'll name at least some of them after radical Leftists like Che Guevara... You know, the murderous, psychopathic, revolutionary... Or for some child molesting LGBTPDQRSTUV sort... that sort of thing.
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I think it's more of a Negro thing.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
Doesn't mean they need to stay the same either. What the fuck about State's Rights do you not understand?
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This is such a strange argument. It's like when people debate should taxes be higher or lower. No one is arguing Congress and the President can't raise or lower taxes they are arguing should they raise or lower them. Same with this example. No one is arguing San Francisco doesn't have the right to rename their schools because we do. The discussion is over whether we should.
 
cawacko said:
This is such a strange argument. It's like when people debate should taxes be higher or lower. No one is arguing Congress and the President can't raise or lower taxes they are arguing should they raise or lower them. Same with this example. No one is arguing San Francisco doesn't have the right to rename their schools because we do. The discussion is over whether we should.
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Who's demanding it, and what is the reason?
 
Jack said:
They've changed the names of predominately Black Schools here in New Orleans. The Schools were usually named after Confederate Generals. Now, they are named after some Black Person that most people never heard of.

General Robert E. Lee Statue has come down in Lee Circle, but no one has come up with a 'replacement name'. It will be interesting if it's simply based on 'race' (like naming it after a Black Person simply because the Person is Black), naming it for some 'historical person' (like Bienville), or re-adopting the original name (Tivoli Circle), or coming up with something else. (?)
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$20 says it's not dedicated to General Andrew Jackson for saving the city from British attack. Odds are it would be some political asshole.

OTOH, I'd be both surprised and pleased if it was a statue of Colonel Joseph Savary, Commander of the Second Battalion, Free Men of Color of the Louisiana Militia who was the highest ranking man of color in the US Army at the time.

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/savary-joseph/

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31339/31339-h/31339-h.htm

image23.jpg
 
cawacko said:
I'm pissed? Really? You know this how? I don't agree with it but one can disagree with something and not be pissed. And, novel concept, one can have a discussion about an issue and not be pissed.

If you don't want to discuss the topic that is 100% your right but why are you on here trolling the thread? You have George Orwell speak claiming its un-American or authoritarian to have a discussion on a current event. Your last paragraph has nothing to do with with topic. Nor is the topic a simple right/left issue. There are plenty of people in SF who are political progressives who don't agree with these proposals to rename the schools.

And as stated in the OP it's part of the broader 'racial reckoning' this country is going through. If you don't want to discuss it that's fine just don't respond.
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People agree to disagree all the time without getting upset such as accusing people of derailing the tread by pointing out, as fucked up as SF and Calif certainly is, it's their choice to be fucked up.

I have no idea what "racial reckoning" is in your world. Please explain it.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
People agree to disagree all the time without getting upset such as accusing people of derailing the tread by pointing out, as fucked up as SF and Calif certainly is, it's their choice to be fucked up.

I have no idea what "racial reckoning" is in your world. Please explain it.
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No one has argued we can't do this. As stated in the OP it's bigger than just SF thus the attempted discussion. Will this have a material impact on kids and our society by actions like this? Clearly some people believe it will thus the point of bringing it up on a discussion to hear the opinions of others.

America's racial reckoning has become almost a ubiquitous term since George Floyd's death. If you're unfamiliar with it I'm not sure what to say. It was referenced in the article in the OP "The move comes amid a national reckoning on racism"
 
cawacko said:
This is such a strange argument. It's like when people debate should taxes be higher or lower. No one is arguing Congress and the President can't raise or lower taxes they are arguing should they raise or lower them. Same with this example. No one is arguing San Francisco doesn't have the right to rename their schools because we do. The discussion is over whether we should.
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Congress and the President are Federal. SF is a city within a state. Like all schools, they only receive 8% of their funding from the Feds. Probably less percentagewise because of their high cost of living. Conflating State and Federal is exactly what the Democrats do. One-Size-Fits-Laws as you are dancing around.

If you are not trying to push your views on San Francisco then what are you doing? There's no "we" involved even if you were San Francisco's most well known drag queen. How is your fear-mongering of SF name-changes any different than Democrats bitching if a junior high in Analorifice, Arkansas changed their name from Sonny Liston High to Cap'n Jethro "Goatfucker" Johnson, CSA?
 
Dutch Uncle said:
Congress and the President are Federal. SF is a city within a state. Like all schools, they only receive 8% of their funding from the Feds. Probably less percentagewise because of their high cost of living. Conflating State and Federal is exactly what the Democrats do. One-Size-Fits-Laws as you are dancing around.

If you are not trying to push your views on San Francisco then what are you doing? There's no "we" involved even if you were San Francisco's most well known drag queen. How is your fear-mongering of SF name-changes any different than Democrats bitching if a junior high in Analorifice, Arkansas changed their name from Sonny Liston High to Cap'n Jethro "Goatfucker" Johnson, CSA?
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Dude, my example with taxes wasn't about local, state or federal power it was about a topic.

This article is about SF but it's not unique to SF and I made reference to that. It's part of a broader national discussion. If you don't want to discuss then don't. And it's not simply a Republican/Democrat issue.
 
cawacko said:
Dude, my example with taxes wasn't about local, state or federal power it was about a topic.

This article is about SF but it's not unique to SF and I made reference to that. It's part of a broader national discussion. If you don't want to discuss then don't. Not a difficult concept.
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What's to discuss? All you've done is whine about it. You want another city and state to keep their school's names the same. Awesome. Thank you for your input.

I suggested it's their choice. You got pissy. If you have a suggestion about "the problem", please make it.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
What's to discuss? All you've done is whine about it. You want another city and state to keep their school's names the same. Awesome. Thank you for your input.

I suggested it's their choice. You got pissy. If you have a suggestion about "the problem", please make it.
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Actually I live in San Francisco so it's personal and you're right I don't think this will change the trajectory of kid's lives in SF or any other City (removing school's named after Robert E. Lee is a different story but that's not the issue here). However, I am open to hearing opposing arguments. If no one cares and doesn't want to offer one that is fine. But this is a discussion board.
 
cawacko said:
Actually I live in San Francisco so it's personal and you're right I don't think this will change the trajectory of kid's lives in SF or any other City (removing school's named after Robert E. Lee is a different story but that's not the issue here). However, I am open to hearing opposing arguments. If no one cares and doesn't want to offer one that is fine. But this is a discussion board.
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HEAR! HEAR!
 
cawacko said:
Actually I live in San Francisco so it's personal and you're right I don't think this will change the trajectory of kid's lives in SF or any other City (removing school's named after Robert E. Lee is a different story but that's not the issue here). However, I am open to hearing opposing arguments. If no one cares and doesn't want to offer one that is fine. But this is a discussion board.
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Personally, I would look at the reasons for name changes. If it's for political correctness, that's lame. If it's for a better name, that's different. I'm guessing you wouldn't be as concerned if they changed the name of a high school to "Donald J. Trump High School".
 
cawacko said:
In our time of 'racial reckoning' I guess everything is on the table but I still don't know the long term benefit of erasing all names of these historical figures. What's most interesting is Dianne Feinstein, the first woman Mayor of SF and first woman Senator in California, being on this list.

The fact that this debate is occurring when schools are basically shut down and many kids in the City are falling further behind with the poor online learning happening right now seems like so San Francisco though.



S.F. might change 44 school names, renouncing Washington, Lincoln and even Dianne Feinstein


A third of San Francisco public schools could see their names changed as officials push to replace “inappropriate” ones honoring presidents, writers, generals and even Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Parents and principals at 44 sites were forced to scramble this week to brainstorm new school names while also juggling the demands of distance learning in a pandemic.

Those names on the school buildings, including Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson, that have connections to slavery, genocide or oppression should be changed, according to a committee recommendation heading to the school board.

More than a third of the district’s 125 schools made the list of objectionable names, which also included Balboa, Lowell and Mission high schools, as well as Roosevelt and Presidio middle schools and Webster, Sanchez and Jose Ortega elementary schools.

The move comes amid a national reckoning on racism, but it also arrives in the wake of another controversial move by the district to address the country’s painful past: covering a mural depicting slavery and Native American mistreatment. Some of the alumni involved in the mural fight are gearing up for another battle over the renaming.

The request for name changes shocked many principals and families, who questioned whether changing a name was a mid-pandemic priority when their children cannot physically attend the school in question and parents are scrambling to help students with distance learning.

“Principals are devoting resources to this,” said parent Jonathan Alloy, whose children attend Commodore Sloat, one of the schools on the list. “We’re being presented with it as a fait accompli.”

It’s not a done deal by any stretch, however. The school board will have to vote on any recommended name changes, likely in late January or early February. But in the meantime, each school on the list is expected to come up with alternative names by Dec. 18.

The timing, Alloy said, is absurd, given the demands related to distance learning, which is having a greater negative impact on Black and brown children than their peers.

“We’re not actually helping disadvantaged children by changing the name of the school they can’t attend,” he said.

District administrators appeared to add to confusion about the still-pending process, sending a letter last week to principals advising them that “the panel found that your school’s name met their criteria for renaming,” and that they were asked to “generate and offer alternative names.”

The principal of Commodore Sloat, Fowzigiah Abdolcader, notified parents Wednesday of the need to come up with a new name, because John D. Sloat was a colonizer who “claimed/stole” California from Mexico, according to the committee.

Renaming criteria
The San Francisco School Names Advisory Committee researched school names and identified them for renaming if they met any of the following criteria:

Anyone directly involved in the colonization of people.

Slave owners or participants in enslavement.

Perpetrators of genocide or slavery.

Those who exploit workers/people.

Those who directly oppressed or abused women, children, queer or transgender people.

Those connected to any human rights or environmental abuses.

Those who are known racists and/or white supremacists and/or espoused racist beliefs.

“I understand that this may bring up mixed emotions within our community, because we love our school,” the principal said.

Board President Mark Sanchez confirmed that the 44 schools on the list are requested to come up with new names in the middle of a pandemic, even while students are struggling at home with distance learning.

“I don’t think there is ever going to be a time when people are ready for this,” he said. “Predictably people are going to be upset no matter when we do this.”

In addition, Sanchez said he didn’t anticipate that the board would change the name of all 44 schools, but those on the list “should be prepared.”

The panel includes 12 community members appointed by the superintendent and approved by the school board, as well as district staff members and board President Mark Sanchez. It was formed in January and has since met 10 times, with members doing their own research, looking at newspaper articles, among other resources to identify whether the name on a school met the criteria for renaming, which includes anyone or anything associated with slavery, genocide, colonization, exploitation and oppression, among other factors.

Committee members did not respond to an email requesting comment.

In a September meeting, panelist Mariposa Villaluna urged the committee to include Thomas Edison Elementary School on the list to change, saying he euthanized animals, including Topsy the elephant, according to a video of the meeting.

“He euthanized them without scientific research,” Villaluna said. “It wasn’t like hamsters in a cage, you know what I mean.”

The committee, however, said that didn’t meet the criteria.

“Long live Topsy,” Villaluna said after the decision.

El Dorado Elementary came up next for discussion, with board members questioning whether the criteria should apply to a mythological place associated with settlers or colonists.

“The concept of El Dorado, especially in California, had a lot to do with the search of gold, and for the indigenous people that meant the death of them,” said Mary Travis Allen during a September panel meeting. “I don’t think the concept of greed and lust for gold is a concept we want our children to be given.”

While some on the panel questioned whether an imaginary place filled with gold met the criteria for renaming.

“That’s how we justified Mission and Presidio, as places of human rights abuses or environmental abuses,” said Jeremiah Jeffries, saying it was similar to naming a school “Manifest Destiny.”

El Dorado was added to the list for renaming.

The school board actually waited two years to implement a resolution passed in 2018, requiring a blue ribbon panel to study school names and submit recommendations for changes.

“This is important work,” he said. “We’re in the middle of a reckoning as a country and a nation. We need to do our part.”

That work includes a recommendation to change the name of Dianne Feinstein Elementary, a name given by the Board of Education in 2006 when the new school opened.

The school made the list because, as mayor in 1986, Feinstein reportedly replaced a vandalized Confederate flag, one of several historic flags flying in front of City Hall at the time.

Abraham Lincoln High is also on the list, based on the former president’s treatment of American Indian and native peoples.

Officials from five high school alumni associations criticized the process, saying the committee did not consult professional historians or diverse ethnic communities.

“We need an inclusive process that will allow all communities to be heard, use professional historians applying verifiable data, issue a written report why a school name might be changed, so the community can make a considered decision,” said the alumni association presidents from Balboa, Galileo, Lincoln, Lowell and Washington high schools in a letter to district officials last week.

They encouraged the board to “suspend the current process until everyone can safely return to school sites for the robust and thoughtful conversations you directed in the original board resolution.”

Currently, the panel is expected to meet in early January to consider the alternative names from school communities, district officials said, and submit final recommendations to the board in late January or early February. It’s unclear what the cost would be to rename the schools, but it would likely be tens of thousands of dollars for each school to pay for new signage and other needs.

“This is a process being led by an advisory committee,” said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe. “SFUSD staff will convey the concerns expressed by some school community members regarding the challenges of making recommendations at this time given that we are in distance learning.”


https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/S-F-might-change-44-school-names-renouncing-15651679.php
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Good, I hope they change all the names to "Open Border Transgender Socialist University"!
 
I strongly urge progressives to wage war on Abraham Lincoln.

Reminder to Democrats: He already crushed you in the flesh. Now he will do it in spirit. Also, you still hate America.
 
Chaz said:
I strongly urge progressives to wage war on Abraham Lincoln.

Reminder to Democrats: He already crushed you in the flesh. Now he will do it in spirit. Also, you still hate America.
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Yeah. Washington and Jefferson. What did they ever do?
 
T. A. Gardner said:
I figure they'll name at least some of them after radical Leftists like Che Guevara... You know, the murderous, psychopathic, revolutionary... Or for some child molesting LGBTPDQRSTUV sort... that sort of thing.
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Ernesto High

Here's a possible opening stanza to the school chant.

Revolution, Ernesto High!
Killing your families, watching them die!
 
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