JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi elementary school, formerly named after Jefferson Davis, is going to be renamed after President Barack Obama.
Davis Magnet IB Elementary School in Jackson has been renamed Barack Obama IB Elementary School. The change will officially happen at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.
“It’s a good thing for the students to see that someone like Barack Obama can be the President of the United States and go to a school named after him,” said one parent.
The parents, community and supporters of the school began a dialogue back in August and recently voted on October 5 to rename the school that many say reflects the old Confederate era.
There are two others schools in the district named after leaders with Confederate ties. While some feel renaming the schools will remove a period in history rooted in racial violence, others say a name change won’t change history.
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