Friday, November 14, 1997
Speaks Out
Was the Orleans Parish School District justified in renaming
George Washington Elementary because the first president was a
slave owner?Huy Chung
Third-year
Math and economics
"It’s not justified. They should look at the big picture, not
just one certain mistake. His contributions outweigh his
mistakes."Geoff Rakness
Fourth-year
Music
"To a certain extent it works out well. As far as George
Washington, you have to look at the context of the time and that
has to be taken into consideration. It’s not all necessarily
justified. Some changes may be justified but as far as George
Washington, I don’t think it was."
Aaron Jeffery
Third-year
Cognitive science
"Slavery was a bad thing, but George Washington still did things
great for the country, so he deserves some respect. He could have
been going with the sign of the times  it doesn’t make him a
bad person necessarily. I’m totally against slavery, but I don’t
think his name should have been removed."
Amy King
First-year
Cell and molecular biology
"Everyone owned slaves back then; it was common in those days.
He helped found the country, so it’s unfair to drag out his
mistakes, though I’m not saying slave-owning was OK."