Revisiting the past doesn’t have to hurt

With some people grousing about political correctness and others seeking justice for past wrongs, sometimes Americans don’t seem to agree — on anything. We like the story of a school in Salt Lake City where adults came together to change an offensive name, honor a deserving person and give students a reason to be proud.

Last year, at Jackson Elementary in Salt Lake City, student Kiana Phillips was working on an “All About Me” assignment — and she learned something fascinating about her family. An aunt had traced their lineage back to slaves from North Africa. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the little girl began to view the name of her school in a new light.

After all, Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, was a slave owner — eventually owning more than 100 slaves. That’s on top of his history as an Indian killer and his removal of the Cherokees to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. The youngster could not believe a “bad man” was honored by having a school named after him.

The school community had talked before about changing the name. But last year, people began to do more than talk. And their process is just as interesting as their result. First, the community council began gathering input, with 184 parents, alumni and others weighing in using forms, petitions and meetings. Some 73 percent supported a name change.

The name they found also is worthy of note — the school will still be Jackson Elementary. Instead of being named after Jackson the president, the Salt Lake school board decided last week to rename the school after Mary W. Jackson. She was the first black woman to work as a NASA engineer (it’s her story in the book and movie Hidden Figures.) Jackson Elementary remained Jackson Elementary, but with a twist.

The vote, by the way, was unanimous, with the gathered crowd giving the board a standing ovation.

Revisiting history has caused controversy in other parts of the country, including in Santa Fe, but the school in Salt Lake City managed to navigate the process smoothly — with a result all could support.

Reassessing who we honor and how is not “political correctness.” And it doesn’t have to rip us apart. As we see from happened in Salt Lake City, by including the entire community, revisiting the past does not have to cause controversy and pain. These are lessons that we can take to heart right here in Santa Fe.