I did not add "Ibram X. Kendi HS" as an option for several reasons:
a. Dr. Kendi is still alive. He is young and thriving with his whole life ahead of him. It is risky to name after a person who is living (nothing against the living- I happen to be one of them).
a. Dr. Kendi is still alive. He is young and thriving with his whole life ahead of him. It is risky to name after a person who is living (nothing against the living- I happen to be one of them).
b. To my knowledge, Dr. Kendi only lived in the area for a short period of time. He did not make significant changes in the area like Mr. Reed and Mrs. Braxton. Schools should be named after people who had a great impact in that community.
c. The SJ staff did not have "Ibram X. Kendi HS" as an option.
d. In an article about Dr. Kendi in the NYTimes, he speaks rather negatively about Stonewall.
I read this a while ago but it still lingers on me:
nytimes.com/2019/08/06/art…
I read this a while ago but it still lingers on me:
nytimes.com/2019/08/06/art…
e. I doubt that the people advocating for OUR school to renamed "Ibram X. Kendi HS" actually know Dr. Kendi personally to testify for him. Can any of his classmates or relatives vouch at the next meeting?
f. The people who are in support of naming our school "Ibram X. Kendi HS" say that he is an example of someone who excelled through the system. They note his wonderful accomplishments and accolades.
Dr. Kendi is a great man who I respect. But one needs not to read further than the first few chapters of "How To Be an Antiracist" to realize that Kendi himself did not like who he was in high-school.
f (cont). I think there is some survivorship bias going on. They want to pick someone who has succeeded in life from our school. I understand that. But Dr. Kendi is just one of thousands of graduates who are still alive making changes in the world.
g. Does @DrIbram even want to this school to be named after him?
