Jackson, Mississippi's public school district will officially rename a school honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis to recognize former United States President Barack Obama after a community vote, the Clarion-Ledger reported.
Officials at the predominately black school told the Clarion-Ledger that it is fitting to change the name to that of the first black US president. The name change stemming from the Oct. 5 vote will be enacted next year.
“Jefferson Davis, although infamous in his own right, would probably not be too happy about a diverse school promoting the education of the very individuals he fought to keep enslaved being named after him,” Davis Magnet IB PTA President Janelle Jefferson told the board, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
The district took recommendations for a possible name change in September from the PTA.
The Jefferson Davis school is one of three in the Jackson district. The future status of George Elementary and Lee Elementary is unknown.
