New Jersey’s high school has removed President Woodrow Wilson from their name due to complaints that it promotes racism.
Camden School District had voted 18 months ago on this decision. However, due to COVID-19 priorities the process of choosing a new name was delayed until now.
A former President Barack Obama, a late civil rights activist and representative John Lewis and a recent superintendent are all high-profile candidates to be named the school after them.
Initially, 100 members of the committee were chosen from parents and school staff to accomplish the task. But, NJ.com reports that the district has informed the public that they will now be starting the process with a 10 person committee.
Woodrow, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, once governor of New Jersey and the 28th president of the United States, led the country into war to ‘make the world safe for democracy.’
After 2020’s summer racial turmoil, however, his legacy has come under scrutiny for his support of the Klu Klux Klan, Confederacy, and for segregating federal civil services.
The school has borne his name since its establishment, 90 years ago.
Camden School district voted last year to name Woodrow Wilson high school Woodrow Wilson High School. But, COVID-19 priorities meant that the process had to be rescheduled for October 26, 2012.
Woodrow, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, once governor of New Jersey and the 28th president of the United States, has been heavily criticized for promoting the Klu Klux Klan and Confederacy sentiments, and racially re-segregating the federal civil service
Former President Barack Obama (left), John Lewis, a late civil rights activist and representative (right), as well as a former superintendent who has recently died.
The Change.org petition, which was created almost three decades ago, demanded that this change be made. But it wasn’t until the country became embroiled in a national discussion about the statues of Confederacy and other racist figures that the district decided they would vote to approve the measure.
The petition states that after years of contemplating the legacy and policies of Woodrow Wilson the former US President, we’ve come to realize his views and actions were contrary to Woodrow Wilson’s values and diversity as well as Camden NJ’s society.
NJ.com received a statement from the school stating that they are proud of this change and support it.
The statement stated that “We are proud of the fact that our schools have a reputation for being places of inclusion and diversity, and we intend to intensify our efforts to revitalize the school’s identity.” “We will collaborate with Wilson alumni and parents to create a new school name. We plan to work together.”
Wilson was also removed from Princeton’s Public Policy School, where he served as both an alumni and president.
Princeton’s Board of Trustees stated that Wilson’s racism and his policies made him an unsuitable name for the school. Students, scholars, and alumni of the school must all be committed to fighting the evil of racism.
Monmouth University announced in June 2020 that it will rename Woodrow Wilson Hall.
Wilson has been accused of promoting a variety of racist policies in an effort to reverse the progress made by black Americans.
The Change.org petition, which was launched almost three decades ago, demanded that this change be made. But it wasn’t until the country became involved in a national discussion about the consequences of having institutions or statues honoring Confederacy figures and other racist figures that the District decided to vote on the matter.
Wilson has been accused of promoting a variety of racist policies which ultimately sought to reverse Black American progress. The ex-president wrote five volumes of history, A History of The American People. He praised the Confederacy and called the Klu Klux Klan the “Invisible Empire of the South”.
The president’s five-volume history textbook A History of The American People was published by the ex-president. The book praised the Confederacy as well as the Klu Klux Klan, calling it an ‘Invisible Empire of the South’.
While he campaigned to be a progressive in fighting big business to support America’s working-class, once he became president, he pushed out the black community from government and changed policies regarding Civil War.
Jose Delgado is a Camden school board member who told NJ.com it was important to bring about the changes for the benefit of students.
“When Rafael Cordero Molina Elementary school in North Camden was renamed, we settled on the name. We narrowed down the list from many and had the top five votes. Everybody, from students to principals to janitors got to vote and it was educational for them all,” he stated.
‘We could also see this as an opportunity to teach students about the election process,’ Delgado added.
Forbes reports that 20 percent of US schools with Confederate names were in process of being dissolved as of July 2020.
The majority of the nearly 300 schools that were named in honor Confederate figures over the past year were found in Georgia, Texas and Alabama.