Trustees settle on name for Vaughan school

Somali-Canadian writer Nalayeh’s name to be put forward to full board

After facing criticism from multiple community organizations for creating a “divisive” school renaming process, trustee David Sherman presented the proposed new name for a Vaughan high school: Mary Ann Shadd.

But in a night full of twists, Sherman’s fellow York Region District School Board trustees all opposed his name choice and instead put forward the name Hodan Nalayeh, which passed.

The committee will now put forward Nalayeh’s name as a recommendation at a board of trustees meeting March 2 for final approval, concluding a months-long renaming process.

The name switch came after several trustees vocally opposed Sherman’s choice, and said the name of Shadd, while admirable, blatantly ignores the wants of the community. Shadd was the first Black female newspaper publisher in North America and a groundbreaking anti-slavery activist.

“Mary Ann Shadd is an excellent choice, however, it’s not the people’s choice,” said trustee Elizabeth Sinclair at the public virtual meeting.

“In this situation Hodan Nalayeh was chosen first, second and third. To me, by going against the people’s choice, it’s like a slap in the face of the Black community,” she said.

The late Nalayeh was a Somali-Canadian journalist who had her own TV show and was wellknown for telling positive stories about the Somali diaspora in the Vaughan area.

Sherman has been criticized for weeks by leaders from Black and Jewish community organizations in the area for questioning the validity of a community survey he orchestrated that found a plurality of individuals want the school to be named after Nalayeh.

The survey, sent out to community members, parents and students, found that 42.5 per cent were in favour of Nalayeh.

Trustee Bob McRoberts said that it was clear Nalayeh had the most local support, noting that her name appeared 2.3 times as frequently as others in the survey Sherman created.

“If the suggested choice of name is to provide reparation to the Black community, then I believe it should be the name that most of the Black community and others have asked for,” he said.

The high school, formerly called Vaughan Secondary School, is being renamed after Black community organizations campaigned last year to have the name removed, as Benjamin Vaughan was an18thcentury slaveholder. The school is in Vaughan, a city also named after the same man.

At the meeting, Sherman said he picked Shadd to “balance” the needs of communities in the region.

“This is the only name on the list that directly represents somebody who fought against slavery,” he said.

After his colleagues slammed his name choice, he said it was unfortunate that they were ignoring the needs of community members and residents, who have contacted him frequently in the last few weeks to express concerns that they do not feel represented.

On Twitter and in statements, Sherman has alleged that the voices of the Jewish community are being ignored and that Holocaust survivors should be considered.

Prominent members of the Jewish community in the area, including advocate Bernie Farber and Rabbi Micah Streiffer of the Kol Ami synagogue, have voiced their support for Nalayeh’s name.

In a statement to the Star Tuesday night, Farber said it’s “more than clear” the community has picked Nalayeh as the name of choice and many leaders and advocates within the Jewish community support the Black community.