The national movement to erase the names of historic figures from buildings and places for sins related to race has reached St. Paul — this time with a U.S. president at the center of the debate.
Linwood Monroe Arts Plus, a district magnet school, has two buildings, one being the former Monroe High named after President James Monroe.
Monroe was a slave owner, and the school's PTA, privy to research on the subject, decided unanimously in May to pursue a new name for the school, which celebrates its diversity with a playground sign reading, "All Are Welcome Here."
The school graduated its last high school class in 1977. But it has persevered at the elementary and middle school levels — thanks in no small part to West End neighborhood pride. Many 1960s-era alumni want to keep traditions alive. Some local residents do, too.
"The school symbolizes success in the face of adversity," community organizer Emily Northey said recently.
Northey, who is new to her position at the West 7th Street/Fort Road Federation, worked with the St. Paul Foundation to set up a "community dialogue" about the school and its community — "a chance to tell our stories," the Facebook notice for Monday's meeting reads.
A name change, as such, could be months away. But putting a U.S. president to the test is new to Twin Cities conversations.
In Minneapolis, a proposal has been put forward to rename Patrick Henry High because the Revolutionary War-era hero was a slave owner, too. Gov. Alexander Ramsey's name was removed from a south Minneapolis middle school at the start of the 2017-18 school year on the basis of his call for the extermination of the Sioux Indian tribe. The school now is named after retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page.