School In Maplewood Will Change Name From 'Enslaver' Jefferson

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South-Orange Maplewood school board voted to approve a resolution Monday night to seek other names for the district's existing Jefferson Elementary School, saying the school "bears the name of an enslaver committed to upholding the institution of slavery."

The resolution directs Superintendent Ronald Taylor or a designee to work with the students to find a new name by June 30 of next year, and change the name by fall 2022.

PRIOR COVERAGE: Maplewood To Vote On Name Change From 'Enslaver' Jefferson

Before the Monday night vote, parent Sally Unsworth of South Orange, who said her family are descendants of Jefferson, supported the move at the meeting, according to a story in TAPInto. She called Jefferson a "flawed historical figure" and said, “No part of the entire truth of who he was, how he lived and who he harmed should be ignored," according to the story.

Read about Jefferson's position on slavery here or here.

"So you are planning to ignore all the other contributions Jefferson made to the very founding of our country itself?" asked a Maplewood resident in the Patch comments section on Monday. "It is unwise, actually reprehensible to judge another time some two centuries ago by the mores of our more enlightened era ... Far better to acknowledge the fact that times have changed, that Jefferson, like all of us, had feet of clay, and that we have since moved on to better times."

After some discussion, the board approved the move.

The district has, in the past, had to settle a lawsuit by the Black Parents Workshop, saying students of color are at a disadvantage in the district.

In Virginia, schools named after Jefferson considered the name change last year.

The rest of the school board agenda and more information is here.

The resolution stated:

WHEREAS, the Board of Education may consider a change in the name of an existing school or
facility to ensure and model an inclusive, welcoming and respectful learning environment; and
WHEREAS, naming a school for a person is to honor that person and to hold them up as a role
model for students; and
WHEREAS, Jefferson Elementary School, located at 518 Ridgewood Road in Maplewood, New
Jersey, bears the name of an enslaver committed to upholding the institution of slavery; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Education will no longer hold up an enslaver as a role model for
students of the South Orange Maplewood School District; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Education desires to adopt a new name for Jefferson Elementary
School, to be selected with the involvement of Jefferson Elementary School students and the
District’s student community at large; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Education directs the Superintendent or a designee to work
with the students of Jefferson Elementary School to seek input from the District’s student
community to propose a new name for that school to the Board of Education by June 30, 2022,
so that the Board may vote on the adoption of such name to take effect commencing with the
2022-2023 school year.

The district announced its fall plans earlier this month. READ MORE: Masks Required And No Remote Option For Maplewood Back To School

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