Brooklyn Center School Board Votes to Rename Earle Brown Elementary School

Earle Brown Elementary School is getting a new name. Soon it will be Brooklyn Center Elementary. On Monday the Brooklyn Center Community School Board voted during a work session to make the switch. The board will officially approve the name change next month.

Earle Brown Elementary to be renamed

Several community members in recent years suggested changing the school’s name because they say Earle Brown had racist ties.

Earle Brown is a prominent name in Brooklyn Center. Brown, who died in 1963, is credited with starting the Minnesota State Patrol. Brooklyn Center’s Earle Brown Days festival is named after him. The Earle Brown Heritage Center attracts numerous visitors for conferences and events. However, according to community members, Brown also had a link to white supremacist groups.

“Earle Brown has been a celebrated figure in our community for generations,” said Superintendent Carly Baker. “But there have also been questions surrounding his involvement in organizations and activities that go against what we stand for as a district.  The children who are in Brooklyn Center today deserve to go to a school that’s not named after someone with alleged affiliations to supremacist groups.”

“Time to Change the Name” of Earle Brown Elementary

The name change means the elementary school will be aligned with Brooklyn Center Middle and High School. When the board officially approves the change, all references will be to Brooklyn Center Elementary.

“Members of the board felt strongly that it was time to change the name of the school,” said Brooklyn Center School Board Chair Cheryl Jechorek. “We want to continue to create a school community that is welcoming to everyone and is working to eliminate racist practices that impact learning for our students.”

Earle Brown Elementary is a pre-K through fifth-grade school that opened in 2004. It offers a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) curriculum to students. 

Brooklyn Center