Vancouver school named for general who ran South African concentration camps up for re-naming – BC | 24CA News

On Monday, the Vancouver School Board unanimously authorized altering the title of Lord Roberts Elementary, in Vancouver’s West End.

The course of was began years in the past by the college’s guardian advisory council who stated the college’s title didn’t align with the values of the neighborhood.

Earlier in January, the Vancouver School Board took the primary steps in direction of a doable title change when the board’s amenities planning committee heard from a report which outlined the neighborhood’s issues with preserving the title.

“For over one hundred years our school has been named after a man who ran concentration camps. He also burned down farms and forcefully occupied the land of indigenous populations, and so was a hero of the British Empire,” reads a submit from Ian Rowe, a member of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council, who was chair of Lord Roberts’ guardian advisory council when the title change marketing campaign was began again in 2019.

As the movement handed, trustee Janet Fraser stated it was the college neighborhood that knowledgeable her resolution to help altering the title.

“I acknowledge the work in the school community of the parents and the staff and bringing this forward. And one of the things that they did was provided quite a detailed information package about who Lord Roberts was and that was certainly influential in helping me understand why his name and his legacy do not reflect where we are as a school district in 2023,” Fraser stated.

In 1907, the college was named after Lord Frederick Sleigh Roberts who served as British commander in South Africa in the course of the Second Boer War in 1900.

During his time as commander, he pressured Boer commandos into submission via the usage of focus camps and the burning of farms.

5:09Report: Administrative pink tape burden on docs a barrier to affected person care

By the warfare’s finish, 26,370 girls and youngsters (81 per cent have been youngsters) had died within the focus camps because of malnourishment and illness.

“For me, it boils down to this: Once you know your school is named after a guy who ran concentration camps, it’s hard to un-know. The school community has been ready for a new name for a long time, one that is place-based and reflects our community. After thinking and talking about it for a long time, I hope it will be West End Elementary,” stated Rowe.

While the PAC will now give you an inventory of names to submit within the coming months, the ultimate resolution on the title will relaxation with the board.

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.