San Francisco may rename 1/3 of its schools due to alleged association with oppression, slaveholding

Los Angeles Times

4 years ago

In this March 12, 2020, file photo, George Washington High School stands in San Francisco. San Francisco Mayor London Breed is blasting an effort to rename nearly four dozen San Francisco public schools honoring dead presidents and even U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, saying the school district should focus on getting children back into the classroom if they want to address systemic racism. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

The renaming committee began its presentation with an homage to the Ramaytush Ohlone people, whose homeland is now occupied by the city of San Francisco.

Then came the list of schools whose names the committee had flagged for removal because of alleged associations with slaveholding, colonization or oppression.

There were 42 in all — a third of San Francisco’s public schools.

Some of the schools’ namesakes, like California missionary Father Junipero Serra and “The Star-Spangled Banner” composer Francis Scott Key, have much-debated legacies.

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