Jefferson Middle School to be renamed after activist Ezekiel Gillespie
The name change will take effect at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to change the name of Thomas Jefferson Middle School to Ezekiel Gillespie Middle School.
Members weighed two names brought forward by the Citizens’ Ad Hoc Committee for renaming the school, which were Black voting rights activist Ezekiel Gillespie and writer Maya Angelou.
About half of students at the school answered a survey on what they wanted the name to be, showing preference for Maya Angelou. Board members ultimately voted in favor of Ezekiel Gillespie for his efforts to secure voting rights for Black men in Wisconsin.
“I came in tonight leaning towards Ezekiel Gillespie, because of his history in Wisconsin, particularly around taking a case all the way to the Supreme Court to allow Black folks in Wisconsin to be able to vote and his case was successful,” Board Member Nichelle Nichols said. Nichols also explained that Gillespie was active in Milwaukee and the Racine area.
Board President Ali Muldrow said she went into the meeting in favor of Gillespie, but was torn after hearing students’ preferences.
“I greatly appreciate that you all included student voice and I have no interest in disregarding that student voice,” Muldrow said. “I also think Maya Angelou is somebody who means a tremendous amount to a lot of people and is somebody worthy of celebration and remembering, not just for what she did and contributed, but also what she went through.”
After being denied the right to vote after attempting to register in 1865, Gillespie sued, bringing the case all the way up to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The high court ultimately sided with Gillespie, extending voting rights to Black men in Wisconsin.
The name change will take effect at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.
The change comes over a year after the school board voted to change the name of James Madison Memorial High School to its current name of Vel Phillips Memorial High School.
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