At this point, either you love him or hate him. Throughout his tenure as president (in which we have two more years), Barack Obama has been honored numerous times. The Inquisitr previously reported on such honors, including Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize and having a new species of dinosaur named after his grin. Jamie Foxx also seems to call him “Lord and Savior,” as well. And there are many other honors, mostly given through special appearances and venues.
However, reports are coming in that Barack Obama won’t be honored by having a new elite high school named after him in his home city of Chicago. The reason: Some African-Americans are calling it racist.
The racism statement alone should sound very weird, given that Barack Obama is the first black president in United States history. But first, let’s report what Chicago officially stated. The Daily News confirmed that the Chicago Board of Education has quietly decided not to go ahead with the plans for the name of the new so-called selective enrollment public high school. A policy on the books does not allow schools to be named after those who are still living, which is the reason they’ve given for the about-face. This is unfortunate for Obama, as he was reportedly excited about the honor, as stated by his former chief of staff.
“I’m not gonna put words in his mouth, but he knows about it and he’s excited about it.”
However, the original story at the Chicago Tribune reports that some of the city’s African-American leaders privately voiced their qualms, stating a form of racism because the new high school was built on the North Side, which is predominantly white. It is also close to another elite-performance high school, Walter Payton College Prep. Apparently, parents — particularly those in the African-American community — were hoping for such a school on the South Side, while others argued that the $60 million slated for the new top-tier school should instead go to financially pressed schools in poor neighborhoods.
Do you think it was racist to build the Barack Obama high school on the predominantly white side of the Chicago neighborhood instead of the black side? For those living in that area, is race an issue? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
