In our town of Altadena, CA we have an elementary school named for a genocidal, slave-owning tyrant who is widely considered to be one of the worst and most divisive presidents in American history. Andrew Jackson slaughtered American Indians in the early 19th century and then drove them from their homelands in the South as a part of his national policy after his ascendance to the presidency a couple of decades later. Andrew Jackson was a racist who enslaved Black people to build his own wealth. Andrew Jackson Elementary School sits on what I believe is occupied Hahamog'na land in Altadena, California. A town that is ~1/4 African-American. Andrew Jackson does not represent the values or culture of our town and our people and should not be immortalized in the name of this school. From what I've been told, Pasadena Unified School District has already made an effort to remove "Andrew" from the school's name, now referring to the school as "Jackson STEM Dual Language Magnet Academy". The only problem being the glaring sign that reads "ANDREW JACKSON" hanging over the front entrance.

Yesterday, NASA announced it would name its headquarters in DC for Mary W. Jackson, the first Black woman to work there. She was instrumental in helping NASA send American astronauts into space. Were it renamed for her, we could still refer to it as "Jackson". It's also especially appropriate because NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is within walking distance. JPL is a huge employer in our area and many of their employees send their kids to learn at this STEM specialized school. Naming it for a tenacious, free, and trailblazing Black woman would also be a fitting rebuke to a man who believed she did not have the right to freedom, wages, or autonomy.

In conclusion; this petition demands that the school officially change its name to Mary W. Jackson STEM Dual Language Magnet Academy, remove the hanging embossed letters that read "Andrew Jackson", and replace them with letters faithful to the original classical design that read "Mary W. Jackson".