From an Ancient Sea Fossil to an Elementary School, Obama’s Legacy Lives On

As each day get worse under the Trump Administration—and I am not talking about Trump simply offending another country’s leader for the 11 millionth time or sending out another tweet full of lies—it’s easy to feel nostalgic for the Obama Administration.

From an ancient sea creature to an elementary school, Obama’s legacy shall live on! That’s right, two pretty random things that have both recently been named after Obama!

A 500 million year old fossil was discovered by Scientists from University of California Riverside, and they decided to name it Obama, to honor the former president for his love of science!

Published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, the scientists stated: “Obamus coronatus, a name that honors President Barack Obama’s passion for science. This disc-shaped creature was between 0.5-2 cm across with raised spiral grooves on its surface. Obamus coronatus did not seem to move around, rather it was embedded to the ocean mat, a thick layer of organic matter that covered the early ocean floor.”

An elementary school in Richmond, Virginia took the same approach. Initially, the school was named after a Confederate general, J.E.B. Stuart, a man who fought to preserve slavery.

Now, the elementary school—which has a 90% black student population—will be named after the United States first black President, Barack Obama, a man who fought for equality. Jason Kamras, the Superintendent of Richmond Schools, stated “I couldn’t think of a more fitting change in the arc of history to have a school named after our first African-American president.”  

Kenya Gibson, a school board member of the Richmond elementary school said “I am really thankful that we finally rejected the celebratory symbols of our racist history, In Richmond we have had lots of discussions about our monuments, and the school name is certainly a part of our legacy. It is time to move on from that.”

From Obamus coronatus to Barack Obama Elementary School, our former President’s progress and dignity shall live on. It’s easy to miss Obama, especially nowadays. But we don’t have to live how Trump wants us to—full of hate, ignoring things like climate change, or living without humanity. We can live how Obama wanted us to: respecting others, valuing science, and living with a heart!

Featured Image via: Flickr/Justin Sloan