Voting begins for Patrick Henry name change
Got an idea for a new school name? Cast your vote. Photo by David Pierini
By Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter
and Victoria Mustin, Henry High School
The voting process to change the name of Patrick Henry High School is underway.
Last August, the Minneapolis Public School Board voted to change the name of Henry High School after a long debate among students and community. Patrick Henry, a founding father of America, owned enslaved people. Henry students for years pushed for a name change and former board member Kimberly Caprini sponsored the vote that unanimously passed last year.
The process began immediately following the board's approval with a committee of Henry students and staff to create a criteria for a name. Names had to meet a simple criteria, some including playing an important role in the wellbeing of the Northside, a deceased historical figure from an underrepresented community, landmarks that have historical significance to North Minneapolis, and themes that reflect community values and strengths.
The committee narrowed it down to 46 possible names on the ballot, some including options like Camden Community High School, John Francis Wheaton, who was the first African American Man elected to the Minnesota Legislature, and Ujima High School, a Swahili word that means collective work and responsibility.
People can find the voting ballot at this website.
The first round of voting ends May 3. A date for the second round of voting will be added to the website. After the second vote, the committee will forward recommendations to the MPS board.
The committee has made it so anybody can vote, and are not restricted by the borders of MPS, or North Minneapolis. The decision to loosen the voting requirements required much more work, but the committee saw it as necessary to the process of separating the accomplishments of the high school from its dark namesake, and letting the community decide what’s best.
Henry student Ben Ross supports a name change and new colors, favoring pink to the current red and black of the Henry brand. But he remains ambivalent on a new name for the school.
“I have no opinion on it,” he said. “The school district will change it to what they want regardless of our opinion.”
Another student, Chakaylah Powell, said changing the name is a good decision, given the controversy tied to Henry’s name.
“I don’t like it,” Powell said of the current name. “I’m cool with (a change) because of the reputation of a slave owner attached to a predominately Black school.”
Another student, Newmann Thomas, described the Henry name as “detrimental,” but did not have a preferred name among those selected by the student committee. “As long as the name is good,” he said.
The committee will submit the winner to the board at the end of May.
“It was very important to make it as inclusive as possible, you know, and have like, true consensus around a name change that the community can be behind,” said faculty advisor Marcus Zackery. “We didn't want to make a decision, just like in isolation. There's just so much history and there's so much tradition. We're not doing this to erase anything. We're doing this to just update what the community needs are.”
Once the name is decided, the school will undergo the change in 2024 or 2025.