Two Berkeley public schools to be renamed in response to BLM movement

The Berkeley Unified School District board unanimously approved a “Resolution in Support of Black Lives Matter” during a meeting last week. The move will start the process of of renaming Jefferson and Washington elementary schools.

The current school names commemorate the first and third U.S. presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who both owned slaves.

In 2005 Berkeley community members tried to rename Jefferson Elementary School but the motion was not passed. The current Black Lives Matter movement across the country, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, inspired a renewed, successful effort to change the names of the schools.

A press release from BUSD states, "Noting that Black Lives Matter protests have swept the nation as demonstrators demand justice in response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and far too many other Black Americans to list, the Resolution In Support of Black Lives Matter includes the following action steps: Initiate a School Renaming Process for Jefferson and Washington Elementary Schools in accordance with the District’s policies."

Also included in the resolution is a new, year-round “Black Joy Campaign,” described as resources and training for teachers to identify additional measures of racial inequity and collect data in schools.

The resolution was written by board member Ka’Dijah Brown and Superintendent Brent Stephens.

"This is the first, but not the last, of our work around ensuring that we move from the thought of equity to excellence," Brown said at the board meeting.

“I’m frustrated that the same level of passion and concern is not given to the other issues that plague our district and cause our district to perpetuate the school to prison pipeline and perpetuate school push-outs,” she added.

Andrew Chamings is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings