The Detroit School Board voted to open discussion on whether “Ben Carson High School” is too offensive a name.
Ben Carson is the current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and a former 2016 Republican presidential candidate. But before he entered politics, Carson was a world-famous neurosurgeon.
The Detroit News reports, “Board member LaMar Lemmons had pushed to rename Carson school, which is named after the Housing and Urban Development secretary and former Republican presidential candidate who graduated form the district.”
“Lemmons cited the neurosurgeon’s name being added when the district was under an emergency financial manager, saying some residents objected to Carson representing the city,” the Detroit News added.
But if there was any ambiguity about whether or not the potential renaming was completely politically motivated, Lemmons apparently gave his reasoning for the change, saying: “Residents ‘don’t support the Trump administration.”
The board will seek comment over the next few months from the public to determine whether or not Carson should be stripped of the title.
If the school is renamed, the new name is rumored to likely be Aretha Franklin High School, after the singer who passed away earlier this year.
