Framingham School Renamed After Local Civil Rights Landmark

FRAMINGHAM, MA — One of Framingham's most diverse elementary schools will now bear the name of a local civil rights landmark. The renaming follows a nearly yearlong process of renaming Woodrow Wilson Elementary after a review of the former president's views on race.

The Framingham School Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to rename the school Harmony Grove Elementary. During the 19th Century, Harmony Grove was a park along the eastern shore of Farm Pond visited by significant abolitionists and suffragettes.

In April, the district announced two finalist names for the school. The other possible choice was to name the school after Ruby Bridges, a living civil rights icon who in 1960 desegregated the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana.

Other finalist choices for the name included Peter Salem, a Framingham slave who was later freed and fought in the Revolutionary War; the slavery abolitionist Sojourner Truth; and Emiliano Mundrucu, a Brazilian who was one of the first Black people to challenge Jim Crow laws.

The renaming process began last summer when students petitioned for the change. Wilson, the 28th president, supported segregation in the federal government, and wrote in support of the Ku Klux Klan and denying Black citizens the right to vote.

The School Committee formally began the renaming process in the fall. The district integrated the renaming into the curriculum, with students researching candidates for the new name. The district also held several public hearings about the change, including one featuring local historians and professors.

"The collaborative process of renaming our school sends a powerful message to our students, parents, and community," principal Purnima DeMorais said in a news release. "A message that reiterates our social justice, inclusive and tolerant core beliefs. I am honored to be part of this exciting and important process."

The school — whose full name is Harmony Grove Elementary School: A Global Academy — will debut its new name this fall.