WELL AS SEVERAL TEACHER AND
STAFF ARE SICK.
SOME CLASSES TODAY ONLY HAD 4
HEALTHY STUDENTS.
JENNIFER: CLOSER TO HOME TONIGHT
THERE IS A CONVERSATION BREWING,
, ONE THAT INVOLVES A
NEIGHBORHOOD, AND A SCHOOL, A
LEGACY, AND THE IDEA OF CHANGE.
JEFF SOME PEOPLE WANT TO CHANGE
: THE NAME OF JEFFERSON HIGH,
SAYING HE WAS A SLAVE OWNER,
OTHERS WANT THE NAME TO STAY
.
OUR COLE MILLER JOINS US LIVE IN
NORTH PORTLAND WITH BOTH SIDES.
GOOD EVENING.
THIS A CONVERSATION THAT'S JUST
BEGINNING.
TONIGHT, IT'S CLEAR THIS STILL
A LOT TO SORT OUT BEFORE ANY
KIND OF DECISION IS MADE.
YOU GOT TO THINK ABOUT THE
FUTURE OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE.
ONE BY ONE, PASSING THE MIC,
THE NORTH PORTLAND LIBRARY FULL
TONIGHT, THOSE HERE
LISTENING AS
TALKS BEGIN TO HEAT UP, THE
QUESTION BEING RAISED SHOULD
JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL GET A
NEW
NAME?
I THINK WE HAVE A TRADITION
THAT NEEDS TO BE CHALLENGED.
JEFFERSON ALUM CLIFFORD
WALKER SAYS YES, THAT KEEPING
THE JEFFERSON NAME, AS IT COMES
FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON, THE THIRD
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
CELEBRATES AN OPPRESSOR,
JEFFERSON HAVING OWNED MORE THAN
100 SLAVES DURING HIS LIFE.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE LARGEST
SLAVE TRADERS AND DEALERS IN
AFRICAN FLESH.
AND BY HAVING THAT NAME IN
2018 ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SCHOOL
JUST ACROSS THE STREET, WHAT
MESSAGE DOES THAT SEND IN YOUR
OPINION?
THAT WE'RE NOT SENSITIVE TO
PEOPLE WHO ARE OFFENDED BY THOSE
KINDS IMAGES.
HOWEVER, OTHER GRADS, LIKE
ROSIE WILLIS --
LEAVE JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL
ALONE, APPLAUSE.
SAY KEEP IT.
FOR ME, I LOVE MY JEFFERSON
HIGH SCHOOL AND I'M A PROUD
DEMO.
ONE THING THIS CROWD DOES
AGREE ON, THE VOICE OF CURRENT
STUDENTS NEEDS TO BE HEARD, THE
ONES WHO WALK THESE HALLWAYS
RIGHT NOW.
THAT, AND THAT THIS DISCUSSION
IS FAR FROM OVER.
IS GOING TO BE A FIGHT.
IT'S GOING TO BE A BATTLE.
I'M A PERSON THAT BELIEVES IN
SOME CASES, CHANGE IS GOOD AND I
THINK IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE,
IT WOULD BE A GOOD CHANGE.
AS IT GOES FROM HERE, ENOUGH
SUPPORT FOR A NAME CHANGE WOULD
REQUIRE PETITION.
THAT COULD THEN MAKE ITS WAY TO
THE SUPERINTENDENT.
