New Jersey school to be named for poet Maya Angelou

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2008, file photo, poet Maya Angelou smiles at an event in Washington. The Jersey City school board voted last Thursday, June 16, 2016, to name a $54.6 million school building for the celebrated writer and civil rights activist. Angelou died in 2014 at age 86. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2008, file photo, poet Maya Angelou smiles at an event in Washington. The Jersey City school board voted last Thursday, June 16, 2016, to name a $54.6 million school building for the celebrated writer and civil rights activist. Angelou died in 2014 at age 86. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

By Associated Press June 20, 2016 1 min read

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) – A new school in New Jersey will be named for the late poet Maya Angelou.

The Jersey City school board voted Thursday to name the $54.6 million school building for the celebrated writer and civil rights activist.

Angelou died in 2014 at age 86.

The Jersey Journal reports (http://bit.ly/28IKLcr ) Angelou was chosen over President Barack Obama and Fletcher Walker. Walker led a parent-teacher group that lobbied for the new building.

The school plans to host an annual spoken word assembly to honor Angelou. The new pre-kindergarten through fifth grade school is set to open in September.