Barack and Michelle Obama Won't Have Illinois School Named After Them
- Barack and Michelle Obama will no longer have a school named after them after protests from pro-immigration activists
- The former US president and his wife were chosen as a name replacement for one of two Illinois schools that had been named problematically
- According to pro-immigration activists, Obama did not do enough to push against the deportation of immigrants in the US
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!
Barack and Michelle Obama were meant to be honoured by having a Chicago, Illinois school renamed after them but this will no longer be happening after pro-immigration protestors contested the decision, which had been made by the Waukegan Board of Education.
Source: Instagram
The school, which was formerly called Thomas Jefferson Middle School, will now be named after Georgia Representative John Lewis, an American civil rights legend who helped fight racial separation in the US in the 60s.
According to the pro-immigration activists, former US president Barack Obama did not do enough when it came to halting the deportation of illegal immigrants in the country. Many of them felt that he did a disservice to them because while he was in power, the US carried out more deportations than during any other president's term.
“I will not be part of renaming a school after someone who did not and does not represent the undocumented community,” one school board member said during the meeting, DailyWire reports.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the decision to rename the school came after locals in the area took issue with the name Thomas Jefferson because he had been a slave owner.
In other Briefly News reports, if everything else was taken away from him, Barack Obama would still consider his life an achievement because of his two girls Sasha and Malia Obama. The dad went on Instagram to thank his better half Michelle Obama for giving him the best gifts he has ever received in life.
He praised Michelle for gifting him with two wonderful ladies who became his lifeline, his reason and his purpose. Obama thought his daughters have played an important role in shaping the man he has become over the years.
""Michelle and Patti have also given us the single greatest gift of our lives: the chance to become fathers," Obama gushed.
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
