San Francisco school board agrees to remove names of 44 Americans on schools including Lincoln

The San Francisco public school board voted Tuesday in favor of renaming 44 public schools — part of recent, nationwide efforts sparked by the 2020 social justice protests to remove the names of American historical icons and others associated with slavery, the confederacy, the treatment of transgenders and other controversial issues.  

The board voted 6-1 in favor of the change, which it has been considering since October 2020.

Among the names being removed from the schools are those of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. 

Washington and Jefferson were slave owners. Lincoln ended slavery, but some historians say he oppressed indigenous people. 

The name of long-time California Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein is also being removed because as San Francisco mayor in the 1980s she replaced a damaged Confederate flag outside of City Hall.

Replacing signage at the 44 schools will cost more than $400,000, according to the Courthouse News.