The Waukegan Board of Education met Tuesday evening to debate renaming Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Daniel Webster Middle School after it was decided the historical figures either owned slaves or supported slavery. Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama are (or were?) being considered as possible namesakes for the two schools.
“I will not be part of renaming a school after someone who did not and does not represent the undocumented community,” said District 60 school board member Edgar Castellanos, who says he came to the U.S. as an undocumented child, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
“From the time Barack Obama became President until 2017 when he left, he today is still the highest-ranking president with deportations in our nation,” said Julie Contreras, who runs shelters for immigrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border. She said Obama failed to deliver on his promises on immigration.
“We feel that Barack Obama did disservice to us. He denied us, and he didn’t stop the deportations, the way he promised,” Contreras continued.
“If you’re removing the name of Thomas Jefferson, one oppressor, the name of Obama is another oppressor, and our families do not want to see that name,” she added.
The activists staged protests outside the Waukegan Board of Education meeting Tuesday evening. Fox News noted that, “The protests come as the Obama Presidential Library is set to break ground in September in Chicago.”
