The Story of Haight School
July 12, 1855: Alameda county’s first superintendent appoints the town of Alameda’s first school board.
1875: The original Haight School is built.
Fall 1876: The school has two high-school classes, a sixth-grade class, and a 7th-8th-grade class, which are taught by the principal, assistant teacher, and a “grammar grade teacher”.
1906: Alameda’s population increases as people flee from San Francisco after a big earthquake hits, and Alameda voters approve bonds to upgrade and build more schools.
1911: Haight School is rebuilt to be fire-resistant for earthquake safety, following Alameda voters’ bond approval in 1907.
March 27, 1973: The PTA presents a report to the school board that states, “even a moderate earthquake… could collapse the entire three-story structure” of the school. In a 3-2 vote, the Board decides to demolish the building.
April 2-3, 1973: 50% of Haight families participate in a 2-day boycott of school to convince the school board to rebuild the structure.
April 9, 1973: Haight students move out of their classrooms, so the new school can be built.
April 19, 1976: The new earthquake-safe Haight School opens.
December 2017-April 2019: The school community is involved in the renaming process.
The Community Decides: Do we change the name of our school?
December 5, 2017: Local scholar Rasheed Shabazz writes to the Haight School PTA, school administration, and the Alameda School Board about Haight’s racist views and suggests that the school’s name be changed.
January 2018: Shabazz organizes a rally on MLK Day and calls for the renaming of Haight School; this same month, over 100 parents and students sign a petition to rename the school.
September-November 2018: The Haight Renaming Committee (HRC) shares information with the community about the renaming process.
September 10-November 2018: Students, families, staff, and community members submit over 400 name suggestions. The HRC chooses four for the community to vote on and creates a voter’s guide for students.
November 6, 2018: The HRC holds a primary election to determine which name will replace Haight School if the community votes for the change.
November 7-15, 2018: The HRC posts campaign posters of Henry Haight and Love around the school and holds a general election; 674 people submit ballots.
November 30, 2018: The League of Women Voters of Alameda counts the ballots; 70% vote to change the name of Haight School to Love Elementary.
January 2019: Shabazz holds a rally on MLK Day in front of Haight School, and community members march to City Hall in support of the renaming.
January-April, 2019: The community voices its opinions about the proposed name change at school board meetings and in newspaper letters, articles, and an island-wide essay contest sponsored by the Alameda Sun.
April 23, 2019: The Alameda Board of Education votes 5–0 in approval of the name change to Love Elementary.
Student Voices: Should Haight School be Renamed?
YES!
“The school should be named Love Elementary. Haight was mean to people with dark skin. I don’t have light skin.”
“Mostly everyone voted for Love.That’s fair.”
“Love is a good name because it means everybody belongs here and we are one.”
NO!
“Just because you change a school name doesn’t mean it will become a better community [and] just because we name one of our Alameda schools after him, doesn’t necessarily mean that we honor him.”
“Even if we do change Haight to Love Elementary, it will always be referred to as Henry Haight.”
Quotes from the Haight Renaming Essay Contest, which were published in the Alameda Sun
Click here for the full website text, with footnotes.