Commonwealth Policy Center

Tired of cancel culture running rampant? You’re not alone. A San Francisco school board voted in January of this year to rename 44 of their schools featuring names of prominent Americans like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Francis Scott Key and yes…even Abraham Lincoln. Parents and elected officials blasted the board for worrying about something so trivial while students were still stuck in online school. The city sued the school board to pressure it to reopen and parents worked to recall board members. The board caved and “paused” any further decisions on renaming schools until after they reopened. A small victory, but an important one—the only way to #CancelCancelCulture is to push back. Public pressure works, and will be key in ending this cultural cancer.