East Bay Area school district unveils new elementary school named after Michelle Obama

West Contra Costa Unified officials will unveil the district’s newest campus, named after former First Lady Michelle Obama, on Thursday.

The new elementary school campus replaces that of Wilson Elementary school in the North & East neighborhood of Richmond. Though the district has not yet returned to in-person instruction, district officials will be giving a virtual tour of the campus 11 a.m. Thursday on Facebook Live.

In January, the school’s parent teacher association called on the West Contra Costa Unified school board to approve the name change, feeling as though “Wilson Elementary School” did not represent the school’s community. The parent teacher association felt as though naming the school after the former first lady would be “fundamental to this fresh start,” since the facility features a 21st century design, including a public plaza and “flexible learning spaces,”— open spaces with movable furniture intended to facilitate collaboration and personalization.

“The Michelle Obama School Grand Opening marks a historical turning point for the way our society views and experiences education,” Principal Claudia Velez said in a news release. “The children in our community will be at the center of deeper learning opportunities that are driven by their own interests and passions in an environment that will be flexibly tailored to their needs.”

Throughout the state, communities have been considering renaming local schools that some say glorify racist figures. The school’s previous namesake, former president Woodrow Wilson, was a segregationist who voiced racist views about Black people. An Edsource analysis in June found that 29 schools in California were named after Wilson.