The community of Bunche Park in Miami Gardens rallied last week against a proposal to rename Bunche Park Elementary.
“I can’t figure out for the life of me why they want to change the name,” said Algire Christin, who has been a resident of Bunche Park her entire life. “I went to this very school. I also worked in the Bunche Park cafeteria. It’s beyond me. I’m not understanding. Why now? It’s been over 70 years.”
The school, named after Ralph J. Bunche — an American political scientist and the first African American to be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize — has been a pillar of the Miami Gardens community since its founding in 1952.
A resident reads a statement against the renaming of Bunche Park Elementary.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
During World War II, Bunche served in the U.S. War Department, and in 1947 he joined the permanent United Nations Secretariat in New York as director of the Trusteeship Department. A U.S. diplomat and key member of the U.N., Bunche notably helped negotiate an Arab-Israeli truce in Palestine in 1949, which led to his receipt of the Nobel Prize in 1950.
The Florida Department of Education held a public meeting last Wednesday following a request received by the school board to rename the school. Francis Ragoo, local resident and member of Miami-Dade’s 21st Century School Bond Advisory Committee, revealed the proffered name to be Bunche Park/Betty T. Ferguson Elementary.
Betty T. Ferguson is a prominent community activist, educator and former county commissioner of 11 years. She championed a $12 million community center in Carol City and was instrumental in the incorporation of Miami Gardens.
More than a dozen community members spoke out against the renaming of Bunche Park Elementary.
)Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)_
The proffered name was met with resounding opposition from the crowd. Ragoo then suggested a withdrawal of the name change request.
Despite this, however, the meeting continued, with not one person speaking during public comment in support of the name change.
Bunche Park speaks up
Dozens had turned up for the meeting at the elementary school. Extra chairs were brought out to accommodate the crowd. The line to proffer a name for the educational institution reached from the cafeteria to the school entrance, with many attendees re-iterating “Bunche Park Elementary” as their choice.
Bunche Park Elementary was named after Ralph J. Bunche III, the first Black Nobel laureate, who received the prize in 1950.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
Dr. Yecenia Aponte, former Bunche Park principal and current North Region superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public School District, facilitated the meeting alongside current Principal Jaqueline Lewis.
Bunche Park Elementary Principal Jaqueline Lewis welcomes the crowd to the community meeting.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
“The purpose of this meeting today is to share with you that the school board has received a letter of interest to proffer a new name for Bunche Park,” said Aponte. “We’re here this evening to see what the community thinks. We’re here to give you a voice.”
When given the opportunity, the community did not hesitate to speak.
“I feel like Bunche Park Elementary is named very aptly after the community of Bunche Park,” said alumna Dianne Wright during public comment. “There is no need to change the name.”
Annette Pettway-Williams is a former teacher who retired from Bunche Park Elementary in 2022.
“I love it here,” said Pettway-Williams. “I have no regrets. I still keep in touch with my parents and my students. I come back to see the teachers and the faculty.”
Pettway-Williams, like many who attended the public meeting, opposed the renaming. However, she had other ideas for honoring Ferguson.
Some statements earned standing ovations from the crowd at the Bunche Park Elementary community meeting.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
“I think it should remain Bunche Park, but if they want to do something special, they should put up a mural,” she said.
Some of the community’s most respected leaders turned out for the meeting. An assistant pastor from First Baptist Church of Bunche Park read a statement attributed to the Rev. Benny L. Everett III.
“We cannot appreciate the future without prior acknowledgement and recognition of the past,” Everett wrote. “As pastor of one of the community’s oldest churches, I must advise we give honor to whom honor is due… We cannot honor one’s contributions accurately by taking honor away from another.”
Bunche Park resident Paul Roberts put it another way.
“I’ve always claimed I stand on the shoulders of other Black people,” he said, “not on their heads.”
Concerns over housing costs, limited public transportation, and economic development in Miami Gardens have not escaped the residents of Bunche Park. Near the end of the evening, several residents addressed the crowd on behalf of other community issues.
“I think it’s really important to work to make this a historic city,” said Brenda Martin Providence, resident and daughter of a former music teacher at Bunche Park. “I love Betty Ferguson like everybody else. But while we’re fighting foolishness, we need to be focusing on getting somebody to represent us in Miami Gardens.”
North Region Superintendent Dr. Yecenia Aponte introduces the naming or renaming process.
(Elisabeth Campbell for The Miami Times)
While a change to the name of Bunche Park Elementary was not completely off the table by the end of the meeting, Dr. Aponte reiterated that she had heard the opinions of the community and acknowledged the lack of appetite for a renaming.
At the close of the meeting, she addressed the crowd once more.
“The kids at Bunche Park also need you,” said Aponte. “These kids are like my kids. Many of you have the time now. Volunteer: to read to a child, help with small group, help with times tables. I’m taking off my hat as a part of the renaming committee, and I’d like to say that these kids need you. Let this momentum continue.”