Jefferson, Washington, Hoover, Roosevelt, Wilson and Lindbergh — slaveholders, racists, white supremacists, anti-semites are part of their legacies that led to their removal from our school names.

And I get it. Recognizing that Peoria has changed over the past 100 years, the School Board proposed name changes that are intended to reflect our more diverse student population. Legacies of racism and discrimination will be replaced by Peorians whose life work reflects a more inclusive and equitable legacy.

One of the proposed name changes was Betty Friedan, who appeared to check all the boxes: Female, Jewish graduate of Peoria High School who gained national recognition for her work in propelling the struggle for women’s rights.

Yet her name was abruptly withdrawn when a board member cited Friedan as someone “who would go against our LGBTQ curriculum, as she was a noted opponent of LGBTQ rights.”

And indeed, during the 1960s and early 1970s, Friedan did voice her disapproval of lesbian participation in the Women’s Rights Movement. Coining the slur “lavender menace,” she viewed lesbianism as a divisive issue that had the potential to derail the effort for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

But she changed. Her position evolved over time. She realized that her exclusion strategy created even more division, rancor and anger in the feminist movement.

During the National Women’s Conference (Houston-1977), she seconded the controversial Lesbian Rights Resolution. In 2000, she wrote “I’m more relaxed about the issue (homosexuality) now.”

So what message is the School Board sending when it rejects Betty Friedan as an appropriate school name?

Certainly not an approach to critical thinking that takes into account the social, political or historical context of the times.

Nor a message that supports the virtues of understanding and tolerance of divergent viewpoints.

Instead, the Board decision tells our students if you make a mistake, voice an unpopular opinion, fight for what you think is right, your name and reputation may be forever stained.

That message, that there is no redemption for past actions or statements, is more damaging than any name that adorns the entry way to a school.

Michael Jongerius is a retired family physician, who has had all three of his children attend and graduate from Peoria School District schools.