On the Renaming of London's Schools

The Thames Valley District School Board will be changing the names of Sir John A. Macdonald and F. D. Roosevelt schools. There have been news articles like this lately which you may have already seen. There's no comment section or attempt to seek different points of view. So I'll express my thoughts here. 

First, let me say I'm not sure "cancellation" is the best word to use, as though humans, even dead ones, are like magazine subscriptions or hotel reservations. But it seems to be a popular word so I'll use it too. 

After the TVDSB cancels Macdonald, what will they choose for a new name? Landor Street School? That might do, unless someone finds out Landor is named after another person no longer deemed worthy. No, the school is likely to be renamed something Indigenous, like this one in Brampton or this one in Pickering. 

Want more information? Check out the TVDSB website, where you can also learn about Menstrual Equity, PRIDE Month, Student Voice Conference for Black Students, and National AccessAbility Week. To quote: "The purpose of the [School Name Review Committee] was to ensure school names across the District continue to reflect the Board's commitment to promoting human rights, equity and inclusive learning environments that honour the diversity of Thames Valley Schools." 

We've come a long way from the 3Rs.

In case you've been living in the back of a cave, you probably know Macdonald is one of the historical figures held responsible for Canada's Indigenous residential school system. And FDR, whose name is also scheduled to disappear, agreed to incarcerate Japanese Americans during WWII. As the TVDSB site states, both men have ties to "racism and discrimination." For the record, I'm not in favour of child abuse or Japanese incarceration. 

But as I mentioned when they renamed Ryerson School, we should take a look at everything these men did with their lives. Because all truth matters, not just part of it. 

I'll relist Macdonald's accomplishments here:

•          A leading figure in the discussions and conferences which resulted in the BNA Act of 1867 and the birth of Canada as a nation.
•          As Prime Minister, the builder of a successful national government for the new country.
•          The builder of a railway across the continent, a project many believed to be impossible. It was the largest engineering project of its kind in the world.
•          Creator of the NWMP in 1873 to patrol the North-West Territories.
•          Creator of Canada’s first national park, Banff Hot Springs Reserve, in 1885.
•          Proponent of Indigenous people gaining the franchise without losing any of their rights under either the Indian Act or any of their treaties. (They did not gain the vote until 1960 under Diefenbaker.)
•          Proponent of votes for women in 1885, the first world leader to do so.

As for Roosevelt, I'll bet some Canadians wonder why there's a school named after a US president at all. But, at mid-twentieth century, when the schools were built, the victorious world leaders of WWII were regarded as heroes, regardless of their faults. 

FDR, the longest-serving US president, was one of the major players in world events during the early twentieth century. He created the New Deal, a set of relief and reform policies designed to get Americans through the Depression. He reformed finance, communications, and labour laws. Many Americans fondly remembered his "fireside chats," morale-building radio addresses in which he explained his policies. And he did it all from a wheelchair. I'm not sure one - I'll call it a mistake - expunges everything else.

But increasingly, our world overlooks anything positive about deceased individuals and criticizes them on the basis of a few actions that don't meet today's standards.  Folks have made up their minds. Selected the most convenient facts while ignoring others.

So what exactly is the goal of the TVDSB? I think it's to look progressive, caring, and pro social justice. To advertise their virtue, in fact.

But are they or anyone else solving the real problems faced by children today? The Roosevelt School neighbourhood looks a bit dodgy, not one of London's best. How does changing the name of the school make life better for the kids who live there? And does removing Macdonald's name from schools make life better on the reservations? 

None of us can change the past. But we could all be a little less sanctimonious, less hard on past generations who weren't as enlightened as us - assuming we ourselves are enlightened. Past generations should be judged by the standards of their own time, not ours. 

As for Sir John, he built Canada, and so long as our country stands, he needs no other memorial. 

Update, April 26, 2023: Roosevelt School has been renamed Forest City Public School. Macdonald, though, has yet to be renamed. Area parents chose Carling Heights Public School as the new name for Macdonald, after the neighbourhood the school is in, itself named after the once-prominent Carling family. But no, the trustees won't allow that name, fearing the Carling family won't be any more politically correct than our first prime minister. 

Update, April 26, 2024: Next on the chopping block ... Lord Roberts School on Princess Avenue. Well, I doubt the TVDSB will rename it "Princess Avenue School" because, heck, that won't help us decolonize.