Charles Lindbergh was a proud Nazi sympathizer. He gave a speech on September 11, 1941, in which he blamed the Jewish people for World War 2. He also went on to say that he supported the horrific acts done by Nazi Germany during the holocaust based on the sole fact that it he thought stopped the spread of communism. I’m sure you can see why this is offensive and can deeply harm these marginalized communities. Charles Lindbergh was even awarded “The Service Cross of the German Eagle Award” due to his support of the Nazi regime. Lindbergh never returned the medal or made any effort at all to condemn fascism.

Along with all of the above points, Lindbergh was not even born in St. Louis. Instead we can choose to honor our beautiful cities heritage by choosing to name our school after figures such as Maya Angelou, Yogi Berra, Sally Benson, Chuck Berry, and Susan Blow, who have all equally contributed to the national development of the United States without holding Nazi sympathies.

Although I agree that Lindbergh was an accomplished aviator and an important American figure, we cannot ignore the problems he has caused these minority communities. With the racial wounds in our country being more present than ever and with us having a highly diverse student body we should consider changing the name of our high school.