DC Mayor Muriel Bowser proposes renaming DC elementary school after late statesman John Lewis

DC recalls Congressman John Lewis visit to Black Lives Matter Plaza in DC

The nation is mourning John Lewis as the city of DC recalls his visit to Black Lives Matter Plaza.

WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to rename an elementary school in the Petworth neighborhood after John Lewis, the late congressman and civil rights leader who passed away last year.

Bowser proposed West Elementary School’s name change to D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson earlier this month. The school was originally named after Joseph Rodman West, a U.S. Senator, Union general, and chief executive of the District.

"As a commander, [West] gave the order to torture and murder Apache chief Mangas Coloradas, who had come to meet with him to discuss terms of peace," Bowser wrote in the legislation. "DCPS finds that John Lewis, a lifelong champion for justice, is a far superior role model for students in the nation’s capital."

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A civil rights icon and Georgia congressman, Lewis passed away last summer after a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. As a student activist, he was one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and co-led the march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights. Lewis also participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1965 Bloody Sunday March.

"Despite numerous attacks, injuries, and arrests, Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the civil rights movement and nonviolence," Bowser wrote.

The proposed renaming of West Elementary is part of the effort from the D.C. Facilities and Commemorative Expressions Working Group, which Bowser charged with reviewing the names of D.C. sites with possible ties to racism or slavery. The group recommended renaming 49 assets in D.C., including parks, playgrounds, residential buildings and government buildings. West was one of the 21 public schools on the list for a recommended renaming.

Wilson High School in Tenleytown is also set to be renamed, erasing its connection to President Woodrow Wilson, who re-segregated the civil service during his tenure. DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee recommended earlier this year that the high school be named after playwright August Wilson instead. This summer, D.C. also added the name of former slave George Pointer to Lafayette Park and Rec Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, which was built on land that was taken from his family.

If West’s name change is approved, John Lewis Elementary School will be the second school in the region named after the late congressman and civil rights leader. Last year, the Fairfax County School Board also voted to rename Robert E. Lee High School after Lewis.