The Madison School Board approved the renaming proposal Monday night to rename Falk Elementary School as Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School.
A significant part of the Madison community knows Ms. Milele as mentor, advocate, community leader, trailblazer and “Village Mother” for her lifetime of volunteer efforts, activism, community organizing, extensive mentoring, and willingness to serve those in need. She passed away on May 6, 2020 at the age of 86.
Ms. Milele was the founder and publisher of UMOJA Magazine, the trailblazing publication that highlighted the incredible people and stories of Madison’s African-American community. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the MMSD school board.
The will be the second recent Madison school renamed in honor of an African-American woman from Madison. The former Glendale Elementary School became Virginia Henderson Elementary School last year. Dr. Henderson, a beloved and legendary educator, philanthropist, and matriarch for many in the Madison community, passed away in April 2019.
