Brookline residents want to change school named after slave owner

BROOKLINE, Mass. — A beloved Brookline school could be getting a new name for the first time in more than 120 years.

Edward Devotion School is named after a man who bequested the land to the town in the 1800s, but he was also a slave owner, and some say naming the school after him no longer sends an appropriate message.

Residents in town are petitioning to change the name for good as the school undergoes a $120 million renovation.

"We have a responsibility every now and again to just say why? Who is this person?" said Deborah Brown.

Anne Greenwald's children went to Devotion and she once served as its PTO president. She says while there's emotion tied to the name as the school's identity, she agrees change is needed.

"The name that gets decided will be a name that people have agreed upon," said Greenwald.

Supporters say they are not rewriting history and would like to keep a plaque about Devotion so kids can still learn about him and his ties to slavery.

A discussion and vote is expected next Tuesday.

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