Imagine the media reaction if advocates for a Ronald Reagan High School petitioned for dismissal because the neighborhood was too black? Apparently advocates for Obama High would prefer the school to be located based on skin color…. Yeah, the irony is not lost.
CHICAGO – Mayor Rahm Emanuel backed off Thursday from naming a new elite high school after President Barack Obama amid ongoing criticism from African-Americans who felt the honor inappropriate for a school slated for a wealthy, predominantly white part of the Near North Side. […]
“Over the last few months, my team has listened to questions and concerns from the community, ranging from location of the building to the naming of the school. We take that community input seriously, which is why – as we continue to look for a thoughtful way to honor President Obama – we will look for other possible names for this future school,” Emanuel said in a statement. […]
Powerful far South Side Ald. Carrie Austin, who represents part of the Roseland neighborhood where Obama worked as a community organizer before getting into politics, said she told Emanuel shortly after the announcement that the name was a problem given where it would be built.
“If they’re going to name a school after President Obama they should put it somewhere else,” Austin said Thursday. “Either in Roseland, where he got his start, or in the Hyde Park area, where he lived and has a home. To put it (on the near North Side), that just doesn’t look right.” (read more)