New names for three Madison elementary schools. The Madison school board approved the new names on Monday night.
WIBA’s Robin Colbert reports:
The former Elvehjem school will be Ada Deer elementary, in honor of the Wisconsin native who led the US Bureau of Indian Affairs. Elvehjem was a famed biochemist and former UW Madison president. Records revealed that he signed and supported a property covenant in a Madison neighborhood that barred Black people from owning or renting homes.
Charles Lindbergh Elementary will become Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Elementary. Erglanger was a disability rights activist from Madison. The famed aviator, was rebuked for his views concerning Jews, race and Nazi Germany,
Chavez Elementary, named for Cesar Chavez — the labor leader whose legacy has been tarnished by claims of sexual abuse against many girls and women — becomes Roberto G Sanchez elementary. Sanchez was a UW professor who created a scholarship program for bilingual youth and first-generation students.