Poughkeepsie School District renames 3 buildings after historical figures. See what they chose.
Back in November 2022, members of the Poughkeepsie City School District's Parents Advisory Committee brought forth concerns about the names of the district's elementary school buildings to Superintendent Dr. Eric Jay Rosser, who in turn presented their thoughts to the PCSD School Board.
It sparked a conversation, one that has continued for over two years, until now.
"By the spring of 2023, we had three research projects underway," recalled Dr. Andrew Rieser, Board Member and Co-chair of the PCSD Board of Education's Ad-Hoc Committee Building Names Study Group.
Continued research revealed the schools within the district were named between 1890 and 1930, and the school community and greater City of Poughkeepsie community continued to push forward dialogue around school name changes.
In particular, a Poughkeepsie-based non-profit group called Celebrating the African Spirit brought a formal petition to the board to change the name of Samuel F.B. Morse Elementary School.
By April 2024, a school board resolution created the Board of Education's Ad-Hoc Committee Building Names Study Group. For the past 10 months, the volunteer group has been working to further research the building namesakes and engage the community in the conversation on future namesakes, via town halls and a recent community survey.
The committee's final report on the proposed renaming of three district buildings — the Samuel F.B. Morse and Gov. George Clinton elementary schools, and Christopher Columbus administrative offices — was given Wednesday evening, at a special board meeting and workshop.
The novel name suggestions were revealed by the committee and the resolution to implement the names was passed by the school board Wednesday evening.
Here's a look at the new names of three of the five Poughkeepsie City School District schools.
More: Poughkeepsie is renaming three school buildings. Why it's happening and how to weigh inGov. George Clinton, a known slave owner and proponent of slavery, "does not reflect the values of dignity, respect, inclusivity and social progress that the Poughkeepsie community embraces today," said Fatimah Carmen Martinez Santiago, Co-Chair of the Board of Education's Ad-Hoc Committee Building Names Study Group and Board President.
Santiago noted that given the shifting demographics of the City of Poughkeepsie, with the Hispanic population, particularly those of Central American descent, continuing to grow, a namesake such as Roberto Clemente honors and celebrates the cultural heritage of many City of Poughkeepsie students.
In addition to Clemente being a Hall of Fame baseball player, he was a humanitarian, committed to social justice and advocating for marginalized communities and racial equity.
Santiago particularly noted one of his final efforts — after he openly spoke against discrimination faced by Latino and Black athletes throughout his career — where he took action after the 1972 earthquake in Nicaragua. Organizing relief efforts, he sent supplies, medicine and food to those affected, which was intercepted and misallocated "by the corrupt dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle," Santiago said.
Following this, Clemente arranged to deliver the supplies himself to ensure they reached those affected. Tragically, he lost his life during the delivery mission on Dec. 31, 1972, when his plane crashed en route.
"Roberto Clemente Elementary School will stand as a testament to the values of equity, representation, and humanitarianism — ideals that should be at the heart of every educational institution," Santiago said.
Data from the most recent community survey from the committee shows 56% of respondents indicated that they preferred the elementary school names to be associated with a historical figure, Reiser noted.In 1921, Dr. Frank C. Furlong, a leader in the local Italian-American community, advocated naming what was No. 3 School after Christopher Columbus, a celebrated voyager and a symbol of exploration.
However, Columbus also "paved the way for brutal enslavement of Indigenous peoples and the transatlantic slave trade," said Carolyn Fields, principal of Krieger Elementary School.
Many other communities, she continued, including New Haven, Conn., and Medford, Mass., have changed their schools named after Columbus after reconsidering how figures like him are contextualized.
The school's new namesake, Jane Bolin, was born in the City of Poughkeepsie in 1908, graduating from City of Poughkeepsie High School.
"She overcame racism and sexism, graduated from Wellesley College, and became the first African American woman to earn a degree from Yale Law School," Fields said.
Bolin was the first African American woman to join the New York City Bar, and became America's first Black female judge. She served on the Domestic Relations Court, known as Family Court today. She's not only a national historic figure, but a local hero.
Of note, 43.4% of respondents from the community survey indicated they were interested in having the elementary school names associated with a local hero, according to Reiser.Samuel F. B. Morse was famous for being the inventor of the single-wire telegraph and Morse code. However, he was also, throughout his lifetime, a nativist, had pro-slavery views, and was anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic. Morse used his influence to uphold these ideals in America, the committee said.
Morse Elementary School's new namesake, Sojourner Truth, was presented by a committee member, former board member and community member who attended the school, Felicia Watson.
Truth, born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 in Swartekill, Ulster County, was enslaved by a Dutch-speaking family. She was bilingual and never learned to read or write, but that did not stop her from becoming a prominent abolitionist and women's rights activist.
24.8% of survey respondents recommended they'd specifically like Morse Elementary School to be named after Sojourner Truth.
"That's actually a remarkable statistical outcome for an open-ended survey ... one out of four selected one name," Reiser said.
In 1826, Truth escaped slavery with her infant daughter, Sophia, after being previously separated from her other children. In 1827, New York abolished slavery, and upon discovering her 5-year-old son Peter was illegally sold to a plantation in Alabama, she took her former enslaver to court. She won, becoming the first Black woman to win a lawsuit in the U.S.
The remainder of her life she continued pioneering and advocating for justice, including during the Civil War, while meeting Abraham Lincoln and during her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech — just a few of many notable accomplishments.
Having Truth as the school's namesake, Watson said, allows Truth to be a role model for students, and students can learn lessons from her life including self-esteem, lifelong learning, civic engagement and "standing up for what's right."
With the new elementary school names determined, the district will apply to the New York State Education Department for a building name change, which has a March 1, 2025, deadline.
The Jane Bolin Administration Building, at 11 College Ave. in the district, was voted on to have the name rescinded, so the Columbus Administrative Building could be renamed after her instead.
However, the doors are not fully closed on these name-change conversations, especially for students.
Carmen McGill, a community member on the committee who attended Poughkeepsie High School and had both her sons graduate from Poughkeepsie High School, was not able to attend the meeting Wednesday but had words to share, spoken by Santiago.
McGill said that these names were not only chosen to symbolize the inclusivity the district is committed to and a powerful step toward acknowledging history, but the namesakes should be a launch pad for broader educational reform.
"Their impact should not remain abstract or disconnected from students' lived experiences," Santiago said for McGill. "The district should take intentional steps to develop age-appropriate curricula that introduces these figures in a way that connects to student's daily lives and aspirations."
Director of Elementary Education Janet Bisti attended the meeting, noting the students could benefit from learning about their school's namesakes and added curriculum, including the elementary school's names that were not changed, so "all students can participate," she said.
"I am so happy that the ad-hoc committee has made these recommendations for our schools," Superintendent Rosser said. "By doing so, we are creating history or establishing history that's reflective of the desires, the aspirations, the perspectives of our current community, and that's a powerful thing."
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Poughkeepsie City School District reveals 3 new school building names
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