This story first appeared in the JM Tribune.
Throughout the school day, staff and students represent James McHenry not just the school, but the person it is named after. Many of James McHenry’s staff and students were not informed about who James McHenry was. James McHenry was remembered for his friendly and polite manner, however, he held several slaves hostage to himself.
We asked 78 middle schoolers and 18 staff members at James McHenry Elementary Middle School in Baltimore to take a survey on who they think McHenry is and if they know him or not. In the survey, 52.7% of students didn’t know who he was, and the 47.3% of students who said yes, still weren’t sure who he was and what he did. Forty-six percent of surveyed JM staff and students said that they did not know who James McHenry was. A large majority of the remaining 44 percent only knew him because of Fort McHenry.
All the teachers wear McHenry’s name on clothing items, but a lot don’t know who he is. Even when they said ‘yes’ they reported the bare minimum. ”A man named James McHenry but no clue what he did.” Another said, “He’s a founding father, he owned slaves, and he has a fort named after him.” Most of these staff responses talked about how he was linked to Fort McHenry. One response was, “Fort McHenry is named after him, worked with George Washington.” Another response worth mentioning was “He owned slaves and our school should be renamed.” The last part is important because it raises the question of whether James McHenry (the person) is aligned with our school values.
Here’s a chart of the responses from the survey taken by the staff:
Student survey
None of the students would know the true character of James McHenry unless they have a history class or look him up. We may represent his name, without knowing who he really is and the data really shows this. Some responses were not very relevant to their answer to the survey. For example, “It was named after James McHenry”, or, “He’s white and that’s all I know.” Other students replied, “I know that he worked with a president, so it’s really cool to be in a school named after him.” Another response states, “I just know he is old.” Many students were clueless on who he was and were just saying, “I don’t know’” or “he was an old white man.” Some gave out responses that were close but did not truly capture his character.
Who was James McHenry?
According to the National Park Service’s website, James McHenry was a politician who was originally from Ireland. He then moved to the States at the age of eighteen. After he established himself in the colonies, he began his service in the Revolutionary War as a surgeon. He then later became a member of the 5th Pennsylvania Battalion. After the war, McHenry started getting involved with the politics of the new nation. McHenry started as a delegate for Maryland. After ten years, he was then selected to be Secretary of War by George Washington. After he passed away, he became known as an “American Hero” and was counted among the nation’s founding fathers.
Although McHenry was considered a hero to the public, he wasn’t an advocate for people of color; James McHenry enslaved people. At the time of his death, James McHenry “owned” an estimated seven slaves, who would either work in the home or maintain his estate. James McHenry’s private notes revealed that he strongly agreed with the interstate trading of slaves within the nation. McHenry would express that it would “be a monopoly” in favor of the southern states otherwise, claiming that states like Virginia would “make their terms for such [slaves]”. Overall, James McHenry would view black people as property.
History of city schools and their names
James McHenry is an elementary/middle school that includes students of different races. Ninety-one percent of scholars who are enrolled in James McHenry are African-American. Four percent are Latinx. Three percent of students are white. Knowing the history of James McHenry it would be hard to argue that his ideals match the vision and mission of our school. Having his name as our school name can be harmful to our students.
During the early years of segregation, “colored” schools were identified by numbers rather than names. Back then, James McHenry was formerly known as School 10. In 1913, students were allowed to vote for a school name, and, out of three choices, they voted on James McHenry.
There are 156 city schools in Baltimore and 8 schools are still named after individuals with questionable character — including some that enslaved people of color. Other schools have names of persons that implemented racist practices. According to a 2022 article by USA Today, at least 82 public schools in the United States had divested from such namesakes, often substituting them with those of civil rights figures or local heroes unaffiliated with divisive histories.
Baltimore City Public Schools’ naming process
Baltimore City’s Board Of School Commissioners policy states that “Beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, the Board will not approve proposals to adopt new names of, or rename, school facilities and programs in recognition of an individual who was a leader or public official in the Confederacy; participated in or publicly advocated in favor of slavery; publicly engaged in hate speech; and/or publicly advocated for white supremacy or the oppression of historically marginalized groups.” If such logic applies to new schools, should it not apply to ours? Because James McHenry publicly advocated for slavery, this policy would seem to support our efforts in a school name change.
“Any request to name or rename a school facility or school program, including a merger of schools, shall be directed to the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”)/designee,” the policy reads. “The Chief of Staff Office, the Communications, Engagement and Enrollment Office, or the Operations Office. The CEO/designee shall decide whether or not to move forward with the request.”
In order to change the name, the Baltimore City Board of Education would have to approve the change, and they cannot use any unimportant name in history that the staff at the school came up with. The school community would have to come up with several names to vote on. We would then have to submit the name to the School Board or make a request for renaming the school. They would set up a meeting with school leadership and stakeholders to talk about the name change and whether or not they like it or would change it. If we were to rename the school it would have to be someone that is a deceased individual, who participated in an act of service on a “regional, state,or national level, and preferably from the Baltimore community.”
The renaming process
We had a meeting with the Principal Danielle Davis of Dream Academy — formally Thomas Jefferson EMS, which completed the name change process last school year and opened its doors for the 2025/2026 school year as Dream Academy, but will switch to a charter school in the fall of 2026. We asked Principal Davis, “Why did you decide to change the school name?”
“The name was old and antiquated and didn’t embody what we envisioned for our school,” Davis said. They were also celebrating 100 years as a school. She explained that, “the process was long and they had to get new signage for the school. They didn’t pay for the re-branding the Baltimore City district did.”
When asked about the rebranding process, Davis said it wasn’t as bad as it initially seemed. “At first they don’t tell you that they are going to pay for your outdoor sign, but in the end they do,” she said.
For the last question, we talked about the school and the community, what their perspective is and how they were affected by it. Principal Davis replied, “Positively. Students and staff asked the community about the name change, then asked and gave a survey to the students, parents, staff, and people in the community.”
Changing the school name can be challenging but if they have the right community they will get it done because communication is key to a great foundation with you, the students, staff, and people in the neighborhood. As we change our school we will get the opinion on the name from everyone in the school and the community.
Right now, to get the school name change request started we are facing a huge barrier. One of the biggest factors is the cost to rebrand our school. James McHenry’s name is on practically everything around the school. From walls, flags,sports jerseys, school websites, social websites, computer cases, pens, bookbags, rugs, signage and more. The school has to pay for all of these changes while still continuing to fund everything. If we’re approved to change our school name, how would we pay for it? And, what is the cost to students of color attending a school named after someone who would have owned them as property?
Having a school name change would result in needing to replace a multitude of branded things around the building. School uniforms are also something to consider since James McHenry EMS pre-orders uniforms for parents purchase. The cost of pre-ordering costs between $40,000- $50,000 each school year.
New name proposal
Since students, staff and our community have expressed interest in wanting to change our school name, the JM Tribune came up with these names because we thought these people had integrity and are more aligned with our core values. And, students are still repping our school letters, JM.
Although the school board ultimately has the last vote on the school name, members of the JM Tribune are considering John Murphy Sr. who Murphy purchased the Afro-American newspaper in 1892. According to the Maryland State Archives, “The Afro-American did more than just report the news. The Afro-American’s editors used the paper’s influence to shape the political and social order of the African American community. The paper provided a medium for politically active African Americans to voice their opinions concerning educational affairs. The newspaper was a strong advocate of education and proper educational facilities.”
The JM community is also considering renaming our school after James Meachum. James Meachum impacted the world by guiding 75 enslaved people from Kentucky to their freedom in Indiana. At a time when it was illegal in the city to teach people of color to read and write, Meachum operated a school in a church basement. Meachum also circumvented a Missouri state law banning education for black people by creating the Floating Freedom School on a steamboat on the Mississippi River.
Our final candidate for renaming is James Meredith. According to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture website, “James Meredith was denied the right to attend the University of Mississippi several times and even had to take his case to the Supreme Court. Meredith eventually enrolled into the University of Mississippi, but his time there was marked by isolation, leading him to dub himself as “the most segregated Negro in America.” He faced ostracism from his peers, and some students even formed the Rebel Resistance group, which, in collaboration with the Citizens’ Council, urged fellow students to avoid any interaction with Meredith. Despite these challenges, he persevered and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1963. impacted the world by leading the 1966 “March Against Fear” from Memphis to Jackson. This was in protest of the physical violence Black Americans faced while exercising their right to vote.
All of these notable persons of color, did something remarkable to change the lives of African Americans. It also is a plus that their initials are JM which is the nickname we already use in place of saying James McHenry. It is our hope that we will be successful in our pursuit of a school name change that best suits the students, staff and community and our school vision at large. The school system has a clear procedure for changing the names of schools and a policy against naming schools for slaveholders or supporters of slavery. It seems clear that our school can no longer support the name of James McHenry.
If you are interested in supporting the JM community with this name change in any way, please scan this QR code to tell us how you’d like to help.
