To the members of Princeton Public Schools Board of Education:
As faith leaders, we believe that the names of our schools should speak to the best of where we have been and who we are, and inspire us to what we seek to become. We were encouraged when in 2020 the Princeton Public Schools decided to listen to the principled appeals of justice-loving communities in Princeton and remove the name of “John Witherspoon” from our local middle school as a remnant of a legacy of slavery, white supremacy, and racial injustice. We were also encouraged when the leadership of our public schools wisely decided to give the community at large (students and community) the opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process for the renaming of the middle school. Democratic decision-making is a hallmark of so many of our healthiest communities and best practices.