“I didn’t know they would name a school after someone like that.”
February 9, 2018 1:57 PM Subscribe
The school board of Salt Lake City Utah has voted to rename (Andrew) Jackson Elementary in honor of Mary Jackson, one of the NASA engineers featured in the book/film Hidden Figures with wide support from students, parents, and the community.
Mod note: Psst, your last link is broken. Lemme know what it was supposed to be and I'll fix it up.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:06 PM on February 9, 2018
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:06 PM on February 9, 2018
I can we pretend it's her on all our twenty dollar bills too?
posted by Megafly at 2:20 PM on February 9, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by Megafly at 2:20 PM on February 9, 2018 [27 favorites]
An excellent solution. Take note, cities of Jacksonville in Florida and North Carolina; cities of Jackson in Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; Jackson Counties in Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Oregon; Jackson Parish in Louisiana; Andrew Jackson Avenues in Prairieville LA, Battle Mountain NV, Jonesborough TN, and many more.
posted by beagle at 2:24 PM on February 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by beagle at 2:24 PM on February 9, 2018 [9 favorites]
This got me choked up. It's nice to have some good news in these shitty times.
posted by AFABulous at 2:42 PM on February 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by AFABulous at 2:42 PM on February 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
There is a long, long list of better Jacksons than Andrew Jackson. Even Michael Jackson is on that list. I will say that Mary Jackson is, of course, a great choice.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:49 PM on February 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 2:49 PM on February 9, 2018 [4 favorites]
When folks here in the UK asked me to explain who Andrew Jackson was, the best pithy answer I could come up with was "America's second-most-racist president."
I'm sure people could find chapter and verse to argue a contender for #2 there, but I'm satisfied in being just right enough to get the point across.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:55 PM on February 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm sure people could find chapter and verse to argue a contender for #2 there, but I'm satisfied in being just right enough to get the point across.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:55 PM on February 9, 2018 [8 favorites]
There is a long, long list of better Jacksons than Andrew Jackson. Even Michael Jackson is on that list.
Action Jackson is in, for sure.
posted by thelonius at 3:06 PM on February 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
Action Jackson is in, for sure.
posted by thelonius at 3:06 PM on February 9, 2018 [6 favorites]
Borked link should be: this which is where the title quote came from.
posted by vespabelle at 4:25 PM on February 9, 2018
posted by vespabelle at 4:25 PM on February 9, 2018
That's awesome!
posted by tobascodagama at 4:50 PM on February 9, 2018
posted by tobascodagama at 4:50 PM on February 9, 2018
Hell if I ever even thought about Jackson, Mississippi, being named after Andrew. I was born there! I spent the first years of my life there! I go back every year to see family, and in all that time I never knew -- ! Well, if that's not a capsule of the experience of American racism as a white person, I don't know what is. I learn that I am dumber than I thought I was every day, and I welcome it.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:30 PM on February 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 5:30 PM on February 9, 2018 [11 favorites]
Good on Kiana Phillips for saying that this is all fucked up. The kids are all right.
But shit like this, from one of the linked articles:
As a part of the process, members of the school community researched board documents and determined the school was named for President Andrew Jackson in the late 1800s.
Jackson was a supporter of states’ rights and slavery’s extension into the new Western territories, according to history.com.
Blaaaaaaargh. He implemented a fucking genocide through the Indian Removal Act. He was also a slaver. He wasn't a "supporter" - he was a fucking killer.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:38 PM on February 9, 2018 [16 favorites]
But shit like this, from one of the linked articles:
As a part of the process, members of the school community researched board documents and determined the school was named for President Andrew Jackson in the late 1800s.
Jackson was a supporter of states’ rights and slavery’s extension into the new Western territories, according to history.com.
Blaaaaaaargh. He implemented a fucking genocide through the Indian Removal Act. He was also a slaver. He wasn't a "supporter" - he was a fucking killer.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:38 PM on February 9, 2018 [16 favorites]
When folks here in the UK asked me to explain who Andrew Jackson was, the best pithy answer I could come up with was "America's second-most-racist president."
He won his fame by defeating the British Army in what everyone knows was the most important battle of 1815.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:46 PM on February 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
He won his fame by defeating the British Army in what everyone knows was the most important battle of 1815.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:46 PM on February 9, 2018 [3 favorites]
NASA engineer Mary Jackson has trumped President Andrew Jackson.
I see what you did there, and I like it.
We also wanted to be very cognizant we are a college-going culture. She had a college degree where President Andrew Jackson did not.
I don't think this was supposed to be funny, but I found it very funny. Obviously his monstrous behavior should be the main reason nobody should be honoring him for squat, and we all should be honoring Mary Jackson with everything on account of her accomplishments. But there is something so delicious that one of the reasons they're replacing him with Mary Jackson is because they feel even without everything else, he simply isn't good enough.
posted by Anonymous at 12:16 AM on February 10, 2018
I see what you did there, and I like it.
We also wanted to be very cognizant we are a college-going culture. She had a college degree where President Andrew Jackson did not.
I don't think this was supposed to be funny, but I found it very funny. Obviously his monstrous behavior should be the main reason nobody should be honoring him for squat, and we all should be honoring Mary Jackson with everything on account of her accomplishments. But there is something so delicious that one of the reasons they're replacing him with Mary Jackson is because they feel even without everything else, he simply isn't good enough.
posted by Anonymous at 12:16 AM on February 10, 2018
Did he even take the SAT? I think not.
posted by thelonius at 2:19 AM on February 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 2:19 AM on February 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
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posted by mordax at 1:58 PM on February 9, 2018 [1 favorite]