June 29, 2020 NOLA Public Schools Property Committee Woody Koppel, Board Vice President Nolan Marshall, Jr. Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr., Superintendent 2401 Westbend Pkwy New Orleans, LA 70114 RE: Renaming of McDonogh 42 School Facility Mr. Koppel, Mr. Marshall, and Dr. Lewis: Schools have a responsibility to shape the minds of bright young people and position them to achieve aspiration for their future. Public schools have a unique mandate to ensure that their curriculums, programming, and cultural competence reflect that of the people and communities they serve. In the current political climate, our schools have an opportunity to be responsive to the will of their constitutes. John McDonogh was a slaveholder who spent half of his life in New Orleans, Louisiana. McDonogh was a wealthy slave owner who worked as a merchant and real estate developer. He bought and sold slaves and the money he made was directly tied to the plantation economy. Over 30 New Orleans schools were built from this fund, many of which were named after McDonogh. The issues of white supremacy within education existed prior to John McDonogh, but continued and were exacerbated after his death. When New Orleans founded its public school system in 1841, it was exclusively for the education of white children. It wasn’t until Reconstruction that McDonogh’s funds were used to support Black students. The schools themselves quickly became battle chips as white residents sought to push Black residents out of certain areas of the city. McDonogh #6 was the first decent school built for Black students when it opened in 1876, but as the surrounding neighborhood became whiter and wealthier, Black students were kicked out. Despite the sizable donation, New Orleans residents have voiced their opposition against John McDonogh for the past 70 years. In 1954, local educators and civil rights leaders organized a boycott of the annual ceremony honoring McDonogh; it was one of the city's first protests of the civil rights era. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, many of the school's names were changed due to the controversy of McDonogh's slaveholding past. However, multiple public school buildings in New Orleans still bear his name – McDonogh 42 being one of them. 2401 Westbend Parkway, Suite 4040, New Orleans, LA 70114 504-227-3057 As the CEO of InspireNOLA Charter Schools, I write to you today with this in mind, and therefore respectfully request the following actions of the NOLA Public Schools board: (1) Amend the NOLA Public Schools’ current policy on Naming Facilities to allow for the consideration of name changes; and (2) Grant authority to InspireNOLA to form an community-based exploratory committee for the purpose of changing the name of McDonogh 42 school facility. (3) Once the exploratory committee recommends a name, allow the Mcdonogh 42 school facility’s name to be changed. I appreciate your thoughtfulness to this important matter, and I look forward to your response. Respectfully, Jamar McKneely Chief Executive Officer InspireNOLA Charter Schools 2401 Westbend Parkway, Suite 4040, New Orleans, LA 70114 504-227-3057