JFK Memorial Building To Honor Barack Obama Instead Because New Jersey City ‘Idolizes’ The President

A JFK memorial building that was named after former President John F. Kenndy will be getting a name change soon. But what some people may consider controversial is that the building will be renamed after sitting President Barack Obama instead of a major historical figure of the past.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, more than 50 years after the JFK assassination occurred, there remains a fascination with what happened that day on November 22, 1963. The terrible events of that day forever changed the Secret Service and also spawned a whole host of JFK assassination conspiracy theories that continue to be debated today. For example, a documentary called Smoking Gun claims the second shooter was a secret service agent named George Hickey.

The city of Willingboro currently has a recreation and senior citizens center called the “Kennedy Center” in memory of JFK. But this past Tuesday the township council voted to change the name to honor President Barack Obama.

According to the Burlington County Times, Councilman Chris Walker claims the name change was intended as an insult to former President John F. Kennedy. Instead, Walker said it was “time to be about change” when he was asked to explain why a JFK memorial building needed a new name. Councilman Darvis Holley was more blunt about why they were renaming the building, saying, “I happen to idolize Barack Obama.”

Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Jennings came up with the idea to rename the JFK memorial building, and he claims the incentive came from the excitement generated by the 2008 and 2012 elections:

“I think that people have a sense of pride about him…. We had so many new people register to vote, people who had never voted before, people who were disenfranchised. All of a sudden, we had maybe 8,000 people register to vote. We had lines… people wrapping around the buildings when the polls opened. It was a sense of history, everybody wanted to be a part of it.”

Council member Nathaniel Anderson says they believe President Obama symbolizes change:

“The vote in 2008… was change for us. It gave us, as African Americans, the opportunity to believe in those dreams that our forefathers sought. For us to be able to live in that historical moment and then have this president reelected, it means a lot.”

In the case of the community center, the change is literal. The town is spending $4.9 million to renovate the structure. Only Mayor Eddie Campbell voted against the idea, although he did not give reporters any comments.

Do you think it is disrespectful to rename a JFK memorial building to honor President Barack Obama?