‘Purely political’: Black conservatives protest scrubbing Ben Carson’s name from high school
The group, known as Project 21, said the move to look for a new name is a "purely political act which willfully ignores the accomplishments and charitable acts of the famous Detroit native."
A Black, conservative group is protesting a recent decision by the Detroit Board of Education to reconsider naming a high school for Ben Carson.
The group, known as Project 21, said the move to look for a new name is a “purely political act which willfully ignores the accomplishments and charitable acts of the famous Detroit native who now serves as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
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Last Tuesday, the school board voted 6-1 vote to approve a process seeking new names for the Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine, located on Mack Avenue near I-75, and several additional schools expected to open next year.
The new policy allows the school board to change names of existing schools under the following circumstances:
- To commemorate individuals who have made a significant contribution to the enhancement of education
- If a school facility is newly built or redesigned
- If the name of a school doesn’t reflect the current school population
- If the community of the geographic area where the school is located requests a name change that more closely aligns with the history of the locality
- If information newly discovered about the current name of the school is negative in nature.
The science and medicine-themed school was named for Carson, a Detroit native, before he became a member of Donald Trump‘s cabinet. The school was named in a decision that came when the district was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Tuesday’s vote doesn’t necessarily mean Carson’s name is off of the high school. But it does guarantee that the process of changing a name, which includes seeking input from stakeholders via meetings and surveys, will begin.
While many are in favor of removing Carson’s name from the school, others are asking the district to name a school after the late Aretha Franklin. That could potentially happen at Detroit School of the Arts, according to the Free Press.
