Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced on Thusday that one of the city’s newest high schools won’t be named after President Barack Obama after all, The Chicago Tribune reported.
The paper said Emanuel had announced he would be looking for other names for the high school. However, he didn’t provide an explanation for the dropping of the President’s name.
“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.
Emanuel, the President’s former chief of staff, announced plans for the future high school in April, according to the Tribune. At the time, he noted the school would bear Obama’s name and that the former Chicagoan was aware of the naming and pleased.
“I’m not going to put words in his mouth, but he knows about it, and he’s excited about it,” Emanuel said.
Chicago alderman Walter Burnett said he was unaware of the name change, according to the Tribune, but thought it would be fitting to name the school after Obama. He told the paper that residents wanted to find a better location for the school but said he was unaware of any criticism about the name from within the community.
“Especially in Chicago Public Schools, to have a top school that many African-American students will aspire to attend be named after the first African-American president and a man who got his start in Chicago, I think that would be a positive for the city,” Burnett said.
