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President Wilson's Name Taken Off CT Middle School; New Name Honors Black Family

Middletown is removing President Woodrow Wilson’s name from a school and replacing it with the name of a local prominent Black abolitionist family.

Amos Berman co-founded Berman Triangle as a residence for Black people.

Amos Berman co-founded Berman Triangle as a residence for Black people.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Say hello to Beman Middle School.

Goodbye, Wilson Middle School.

Wilson has had his name scrubbed from a number of public buildings recently as people have become more aware of the former president’s white supremacist beliefs. Wilson famously re-segregated the federal government - installing equipment like bathrooms for Black and white people. Earlier this summer Princeton University took his name off one of their buildings. 

The Middletown School Committee voted to change the school’s name on Aug. 3 with a vote of 11-0 in favor of the new name, WTNH reported.

Committee members said the Beman family - especially Rev. Jehiel, Clarissa, Leverett, and Rev. Amos Beman - were active in local religion as well as the deconstruction of slavery. 

Rev. Jebiel Beman was pastor of the Cross Street African Methodist Episcopal Church and a co-founder of the Middletown Anti-Slavery Society. He was also a conductor on the Underground Railroad, committee members said. Clarissa Beman founded the Middletown Colored Female Anti-Slavery Society. Brothers Rev. Amos and Leverett Beman developed a free Black residential community, still known today as Berman Triangle.

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