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Gen. Isaac I. Stevens died at the age of 44 leading Union troops at the Battle of Chantilly
For decades, families and staff at Stevens Elementary School have talked about hopes of detaching the North Capitol Hill school from a figure with a fading place in the state’s history and to give respect back to Duwamish and Indigenous Peoples.
Now, some 167 years after Isaac Ingalls Stevens finished his term as the Governor of the newly formed Washington Territory, organizers at the school feel 2024 is the year to finally make change.
“When people finally realize that their school and the name ‘Stevens’ is actually Isaac Stevens, and as kids learn in history about Isaac Stevens, they would question why they are named after this person,” Michelle Martine, a first grade teacher at the school, tells CHS. “There has always been a push to change the name, but it has never felt as right as it does right now.”
Martine said renaming has been a conversation with children and families who come through the school. A petition was launched earlier this month and currently has a total just under 100 signatures in favor of a proposed name change to Red Cedar Elementary.
The organizers spent much time, effort and thoughtfulness researching, listening to and learning from Indigenous Peoples to uncover the perfect name.
“The name ‘Red Cedar’ came about because we were speaking with Duwamish Elders and asking them how do they go about names when they name places or buildings, and it’s to see what was on the land before you came, and give respect back to it,” Martine said.
CHS reported in 2022 on the organizers and their ongoing efforts to change the name, during which Duwamish Tribal Council chairwoman Cecile Hansen granted the name Princess Angeline, the oldest daughter of Chief Si’ahl, more commonly known as Chief Seattle, to the school.
“When we had the meeting in 2022 there was push back from the community about naming the school after a particular person from a particular group of people. We started looking for routes that would be more inclusive to many Indigenous People,” Martine said. “The naming of the school now represents and is symbolic to the land and the people.”
(Image: Seattle Public Schools)
Ken Workman, the great-great-great-nephew of Princess Angeline, helped the organizers learn how the Duwamish name places. In the neighborhood, red cedar trees were abundant and have been significant to the Duwamish and Native Peoples.
“Let’s envision a world where Indigenous, Black, POC coexist and actually start taking steps towards equality. Our school’s taking a step. This is our step,” Martine said. “This change is going to happen. We’re not going to back down. The community wants this. The city wants this. Our students want this.”
Organizers say the name of the school chosen in 1906 is tied to the brutal actions of Stevens. As governor, many hold the military leader responsible for forcing tribes into signing deceptive treaties that took away large areas of land.
“Isaac Stevens told the Indigenous People—the Duwamish People—that if they don’t sign the treaty, they would walk home knee-deep in the blood of their own families, and so they were threatened to sign these treaties, and many believed that they would get the land, they would get the fishing rights and they would have freedom. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened,” Martine said.
Those who support the name change have many reasons but many want to give respect back to the tribe and the land.
There is more work to be done. Martine said the group is following the same course of action that Northgate Elementary took to change their name to James Baldwin Elementary. The Capitol Hill group will continue to work to gain community support, and are working with school and district officials.
There are also other important issues around Stevens for the school’s community to attend to as the district says state budget woes won’t bring any closures this year but next school year could bring campus cuts.
For now, the district’s leadership is taking a hands off approach to the naming conversation while supporting the local effort.
“The process of renaming Stevens Elementary has been characterized by extensive community engagement and deliberations regarding the new name. The staff has collaborated closely with the Duwamish Native Peoples to identify a name that reflects respect and honor,” a Seattle Public Schools spokesperson told CHS.
SPS said the school is navigating steps a school board procedure, and while the school board does not favor name changes of existing school district buildings, there are exceptions.
Following community engagement and support, district superintendent Dr. Brent Jones decide if the school name change should be considered. If so, officials will request the school principal to meet with staff, parents, students, alumni, and community members for continued discussion of the proposal. From there, the principal is tasked with preparing a written report summarizing the support and opposition of the proposal, which will then be submitted to the superintendent.
Ultimately, Jones will need to make the decision to step forward. If the superintendent approves, the proposal will be submitted to the School Board, who will either accept or reject the initiative.
Seattle’s board members, meanwhile, aren’t yet acting on the possible name change
Michelle Sarju, the SPS Board Member who represents Stevens, told CHS she hasn’t been involved in the discussions as did Liza Rankin, Seattle School Board President.
The petition organizers say they feel positive about the proposal and feel like it’s a community decision that they are looking for the families and the neighborhood to support.
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Let’s not forget, Isaac Stevens is, as noted in the article, a man who died leading Union troops in battle during a war to end slavery in this country. So he gave his life to defend the country and for the cause of ending slavery. I hope as Ms. Martine and other educators petition to change the school name, they also expose their students to the complexity of history, and the fact that people and nations should not be judged solely by their worst acts.
This is a really odd and telling comment Glenn…
The idea of naming buildings after individuals is such a new concept in the history of humanity, with almost 100% aim of judging solely by the narrative of those whose names are on the building or those whom put it there.
Isaac Stevens is a historically complicated individual; he was a pro-slavery Democrat who actively worked against the election Lincoln, he was also, though obviously no solely, responsible for ending slavery by way of treaties with the NorthWest tribes.
So while he was pro-Union, he did not give his life for the cause to end slavery.
Well, he was fighting for the side that was trying to end slavery. He also died for that side. Seems like he may have ended up giving his life to end slavery by default.
The students should also learn that the indigenous tribes living in this region when the White settlers arrived were slave-raiding and slave-owning peoples, and that Chief Seattle himself owned slaves, and that it was the White settlers who ended the practice of slavery in the Northwest Territories. I’m always bemused by the particular Seattle progressive who is willing to ignore these ugly truths since they don’t fit the sanctioned ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ groupthink. History is complex, indeed.
I like Stevens too, for his time, he was a good guy (but that was a low bar to clear) and unlike others, has a direct connection to Washington. But I also see that many other people are not really being represented as much as they should. If people want to keep Stevens’ name on stuff, I think that’s fine, there’s plenty of schools named after people with no direct Washington connection or with names that seem pretty generic (Nathan Hale, Madison, Franklin, Roosevelt, Gatewood to name a few).
So, the name can be salvaged. The school community seems to want this change, so why not let them have it? There’s plenty of other things we can name after Isaac Stevens. Even if one were to argue this whole business is generally performative virtue signaling, it’s also virtue signaling to expend much energy in opposition. I believe it was Sophocles who wrote in Antigone “you gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em. Know when to walk away, know when to run…etc.) I say it’s best to fold ’em in these situations.
That’s Peter Dinklage
Why don’t we just name/ rename the State Of Washington “Spotted owl” .. and change King County to Burger King county or Larry King County
Umm, you do know that we’re already on our second King for King County, right? Or do you just want to live in your own absurd hyperbolic world 🙄
Let’s rename it a 3rd Time: “Elvis County” for the KING of Rock’n’Roll.
Let’s not forget that those espousing the idea of changing the name of a school named after someone who fought to end slavery are accomplishing less than nothing in the “fight” to fix our shortcomings in the US. Along with painting pretty murals on the street on Cap Hill, hiring DEI consultants, implementing reverse racism policies in hiring and program rules, telling white people they were born racist and screaming at them about “doing the work”, defunding the police…this is all a cynical neo-Marxist plot to ruin our democratic institutions with a big assist from “empathetic” dupes. (And for g-dsakes can the journalist who wrote this piece check the plunging enrollment at this elementary school for example as anyone with two nickles in their pockets flees to private schools and to the burbs). Another good public school circling the drain (or rather turning into a union led jobs program and losing all focus on its stated purpose). T
Are you serious? The real “plot to ruin our democratic institutions” is clearly spelled out in Project 2025 and at every Trump rally.
Love this! As the mom of a Stevens alum, I love this name. We have plenty of schools named after dead white guys.
And what percentage of their student body is Native American?
Seattle schools will be cutting teachers due to budget, so I wonder how much will be spent on renaming everything.
You should change the Seattle Public Schools Superintendent first. Schools gotta possess an American President name always.