Posted on 06/10/2005 1:58:00 PM PDT by againstallhope
On Wednesday members of the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Unified School District indicated that they were as divided as they could be on whether or not to accept the name change. And with the district asking for public input before a vote in two weeks, the conflict could escalate.
(Excerpt) Read more at berkeleydailyplanet.com ...
It's Berkeley...they could call it Guevara Elementary School.
I wonder what percentage of exiting students from this school can't read at their grade level. It is interesting that this is what some people spend time on.
The story would have made a lot more sense if you had included the 1st paragraph:
" The Jefferson Elementary School name controversy did not end with the decision by Jefferson parents/guardians, school staff, and students to change the school’s name to Sequoia."
Sequoya (1770?-1843), Native American leader and inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. His name is also spelled Sequoyah or Sequoia. Born in Taskigi, Tennessee, Sequoya was probably the son of Nathaniel Gist, an English trader, and a part-Cherokee woman. He was also known by his English name, George Guess. Sequoya worked as a silversmith and a trader in Cherokee County, Georgia. He served with the United States Army during the Creek War (1813-1814).
Determined to preserve Cherokee culture, Sequoya began to develop a system of writing for the Cherokees around 1809. By 1821 he had developed an alphabet composed of over 80 characters that represented all the syllables of the Cherokee language. The alphabet allowed the Cherokee to publish newspapers and books in their own language, and thousands learned to read and write in the new written language. The giant sequoia trees and Sequoia National Park in California are named after him.
http://www.thehawksnest.com/html/sequoya.html
There was a post last week after the tally was announced. There were many comments posted. I just wanted to give a follow up and boil it down. The link to the story is there for anyone who wanted background.
The process leading up to the name change was long and methodical. They followed the procedures that were set out. I completely expected the school board to rubber stamp the decision and I found it's response pretty shocking, particularly Shirley Issel's. I have to wonder why they didn't speak up earlier, like a year and a half ago. Maybe they thought it would never go through. I think that is probable. The district has enough on its hands without the entire name change charade. Every body is entitled to their opinion. A lot of African Americans feel justified in wanting it changed. I feel justified in thinking the name change an un-enlightened cheap a** stunt. What we can look forward to is board member Rivera's explanation of why he is against it... which he'll reveal later.
The name is for the tree, not the chief/leader.
I confess I don't know the difference between a redwood tree and a sequoia. I'll look it up.
Ha, ha, ha. Wonder when someone is going to inform the Berkeley School Board that the Cherokee were slaveholders and the last place where slavery existed in America was the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee largely supported the South during the Civil War. It was only after the Civil War ended that the United States "negotiated" a treaty in 1866 with the Cherokee Nation whereby they agreed to free their slaves and end slavery.
Another politically incorrect fact of history which I'm sure you don't learn in the Berkeley School System.
They don't care. The only bad slavery is white people enslaving brown people.
yeah ha ha. There is indeed a lot to know in this world. And I confess, that IS interesting. Not everything is taught in the mold. You'd be surprised. I have been. Some of the teachers are outstanding.
And again, it's the tree, not the chief.
But since the tree is named for the person, the school will indirectly be named for for a member of the slaveowning, pro-confederate tribe. There is a certain humor to be found there, as when the politically correct crowd voted in a flag for Georgia which is almost an exact duplicate of the Confederate First National flag. If someone could come up with evidence that Sequoia actually owned a slave, it would be the perfect punchline.
I can't agree with you more. I'll look into it. That would be hilarious.
It gets better. It appears that the town's namesake, English philosopher and Bishop George Berkeley, owned slaves when he lived in Rhode Island for a short time.
http://www.africanphilosophy.com/vol1.1/morton.html
Search the text for "Berkeley"
LOL.
They better rename the city for Ho Chi Minh, like their park.
Then if can be "U.C.-Ho Chi Minh." Should do wonders for student recruiting and alumni donations.
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