School Name: History and Resources
Roland Hayes School Naming Announcement
On November 16, 2023, the Student Renaming Committee presented at Town Meeting, and Town Meeting members voted overwhelmingly to approve our Warrant Article, renaming our school to the Roland Hayes School.
We thank everyone who supported this process, including the members of our school community, Town Meeting members, scholar Dr. Barbara Brown, and the many expert guides who helped along the way.
Town Meeting Resources
Here are links to two videos and a podcast that help capture this important moment:
- Watch the YouTube Micro-Documentary
- Watch the Brookline Town Meeting Presentation and Vote
- Listen to the Boston Public Radio Segment about Roland Hayes
View the slide deck presentation from Town Meeting:
View the Town Meeting Slide Deck
A Message from Roland Hayes’s Family
I am so happy to hear this! I know my girls will be equally happy.
Many thanks to you and the committee for making this possible.
May the students really understand how significant this is and how proud they should be of their participation in the process of changing the name of the school.
Sincerely,
Afrika Hayes Lambe
Zaida Christine Lambe
Erika Rolande Lambe
June 9, 2023: Roland Hayes Selected as New School Name
Roland Hayes was selected as our new school name!
Roland Hayes was born in 1887 to farmers in Curryville, GA. He first learned how to sing by attending church as a child. Hayes’s voice impressed many people. With only five years of schooling, he was admitted to Fisk University, where he joined the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Hayes believed in himself and his ability. When the Fisk singers performed in Boston, Hayes chose to remain here for further voice training, becoming renowned for his vocal talents. At the beginning, some orchestras and concert halls would not let him perform because he was Black. By the 1920s, he had become one of the best classical tenors in the world. In his sold-out concerts, he sang different kinds of music; audiences were amazed when he sang songs from Italy, Germany, and France. Hayes was proud of being Black, so he always included African-American folk songs and spirituals in his programs.
Hayes believed that music was crucial to understanding and expressing yourself. During his tours, he would also try to find time to visit local schools and meet with musical students. Hayes encouraged them to incorporate their cultures and histories into their singing. He performed his last concert at age 85 in Cambridge, MA.
He and his family lived in Brookline for many years.
Did You Know? Hayes was the first African-American soloist to appear with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1923.
Quote: “The beauty of what could be done with the voice just overwhelmed me.” - Roland Hayes
Voting Results
In total, 733 people cast a vote for our new school name. That is extraordinary!
- 57.4% of voters, or 421 people, were students
- 29.3% of voters, or 215 people, were family members
- 13.2% of voters, or 97 people, were current staff
On June 15, the results of this vote were presented to the School Committee for their consideration.
Voting Process
In June, we held two votes using ranked choice voting.
Who could vote? Current students, current staff, and current families. Students voted at school during the school day. We sincerely hoped families would have conversations at home and talk about the merits of each candidate before casting their votes.
- The first vote was a practice vote to make sure the voting system was working. The practice vote took place June 1 and 2.
- The second vote was to decide the new school name. The school name vote took place June 8 and 9.
Our Four Finalists
After careful deliberation, significant research, and lots of introspection, the Student School Naming Committee announced four finalists for the new school name. The finalists were, in alphabetical order:
- Ruth Batson
- Ellen and William Craft
- Roland Hayes
- John Woodrow Wilson
Ruth Batson: Founder of METCO
Ruth Batson was born in 1921 to parents who moved to Roxbury, MA, from Jamaica. As a teacher and a mother, she believed that everyone deserves a great education.
Batson saw that, at the time, the Boston schools did not treat Black students equally. Black students in Boston did not get the same opportunities as other students. In 1965, she helped start a program called METCO. This program lets students go to schools in different towns where they can get a better education. Brookline was one of the first towns to join METCO. Now, over 30 towns have joined METCO.
For her whole life, Batson worked to see that everyone would be treated equally. She was an equal rights leader in Boston and all over Massachusetts. She worked with groups like the NAACP and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination to fight for equal rights.
After starting METCO, she started an organization called the Ruth M. Batson Educational Foundation. The Foundation gives money for a better education for Black students, schools, and groups. In 1976, she returned to Boston University to get her master’s degree in education.
Did You Know? Batson also worked with John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and George McGovern when they ran for president.
Quote: “When we fight about education, we’re fighting for our lives.” - Ruth Batson
John Woodrow Wilson: Artist
John Woodrow Wilson was born in 1922 to parents who came to Roxbury, MA, from Guyana. He loved art and used it to express himself. After college, Wilson traveled around the world. He went to France and Mexico to further develop his talents in painting and sculpture.
When Wilson returned to the United States in the 1950s, he was selected to teach at BU’s College for the Arts. He began creating works that showed the hardships he and other Black people faced, including lynching, poverty, discrimination, and other social issues.
He also used his art to celebrate the lives of Black people. One of Wilson’s most famous artworks is a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Wilson created this sculpture to honor Dr. King and his contributions to American history. Most importantly, he hoped his works would inspire others to learn and make people think. Wilson and his family moved to Brookline in 1964 to raise their children. He stayed in Brookline until his passing in 2015. Today, many places display and celebrate Wilson’s art. These locations include the U.S. Capitol Building, the Museum of Fine Arts, Roxbury Community College, and Brookline Town Hall.
Did You Know? The first place President Obama visited after his inauguration was the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol to visit the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., sculpted by John Wilson.
Quote: “...[Wilson’s] main objective as an artist was to deliver a message to people about Black dignity, about racial justice, about poor people trying to get a better deal in life.” - Judith Kowitch Wilson