In San Francisco, an elementary school was emancipated from its former name of Peter Burnett Elementary, named after California’s first elected civilian Governor. Burnett was also a known racist. He served in office from 1849 to 1851 - and also was the first governor to ever resign from office.
Burnett held office under the premise of suspended immigration for the Chinese, the extermination of Native Americans and proposed exclusion laws against blacks to the state. These were items he proposed while working in politics in Oregon, before he even came to California. Under Burnett’s proposal, blacks who remained should be arrested and flogged every six months until they left the territory. In 1850, he signed the Foreign Miners Tax Act into law, requiring every miner of non-American origin to pay $20.
Burnett finally resigned after California was declared a state and he could no longer pass racist legislatures.
Urged by San Francisco NAACP chapter President Rev. Amos Brown, the present-day elementary school bearing the name Peter Burnett Elementary changed its name to the Leola M. Havard Early Education School one week ago today.
Havard was San Francisco’s first African-American school principal. She began serving in 1949 and continued for 30 years. Waiting for her moment at 91 years old, Havard still resides in the San Francisco community.
This is the second school in California that has successfully removed Burnett’s name from its building.
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| Leola M. Howard (Left) |
 Leola M. Havard (Left) was San Francisco’s first African-American school principal. (AP) |
Burnett held office under the premise of suspended immigration for the Chinese, the extermination of Native Americans and proposed exclusion laws against blacks to the state. These were items he proposed while working in politics in Oregon, before he even came to California. Under Burnett’s proposal, blacks who remained should be arrested and flogged every six months until they left the territory. In 1850, he signed the Foreign Miners Tax Act into law, requiring every miner of non-American origin to pay $20.
Burnett finally resigned after California was declared a state and he could no longer pass racist legislatures.
Urged by San Francisco NAACP chapter President Rev. Amos Brown, the present-day elementary school bearing the name Peter Burnett Elementary changed its name to the Leola M. Havard Early Education School one week ago today.
Havard was San Francisco’s first African-American school principal. She began serving in 1949 and continued for 30 years. Waiting for her moment at 91 years old, Havard still resides in the San Francisco community.
This is the second school in California that has successfully removed Burnett’s name from its building.
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