A Mississippi school is removing Jefferson Davis’ name, replacing it with Barack Obama

Published 9:21 am Wednesday, October 18, 2017

A Mississippi elementary school named after Confederate president Jefferson Davis will be renamed in 2018 after former President Barack Obama.

Davis IB Elementary School, part of the Jackson Public Schools system, is looking to change the school’s name to Barack Obama Magnet IB Elementary School.

The JPS Board of Trustees recently approved a policy allowing PTA leadership and the school community permission to rename Davis, along with George and Lee elementary schools, in accordance with its school-naming policy that requires the person be “of good character and prominence who have made outstanding contributions to the school system.”

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“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 PTA president Janelle Jefferson told the board in a meeting Tuesday night.

The new name will not go into effect until the 2018-2019 school year.