Fontana Unified Renames School to Honor O’Day Short, Black Family Killed in 1945 Racially Motivated Arson

On August 5, Fontana Unified School District held a powerful and emotional renaming ceremony, officially changing the name of Randall Pepper Elementary School to O’Day Short Elementary School, honoring a Black family whose lives were stolen in one of Fontana’s darkest chapters.

The renaming marks a historic shift for the district as it prepares to welcome more than 30,000 students back for the 2025-26 school year on August 6. For the first time, the school will open under a name that acknowledges and honors the Short family’s courage, suffering, and legacy.

“Renaming this school is not simply about changing signage,” said Maha Rizvi, district director for Senator Eloise Gomez Reyes. “It’s about centering truth, honoring legacy, and ensuring our students grow up learning the full history of the ground they walk on. The injustices the Short family endured is a painful part of our region’s history, but today we ensure this tragedy is never forgotten.”

In 1945, O’Day H. Short, a Black refrigeration engineer, purchased land at Randall and Pepper avenues—a part of town where Black families were not permitted to live. After refusing to leave despite threats, Short’s home was set ablaze on December 16, 1945. O’Day, his wife Helen, and their children Barry and Carol Ann all died from injuries caused by the fire. The case was never prosecuted, despite overwhelming suspicion of arson.

The very land where the tragedy occurred would later become Randall Pepper Elementary, built in 1950. Eighty years later, Fontana Unified has chosen to confront that history head-on.

The renaming was sparked by Cyrus Moss, a middle school student in the district who submitted a petition in March 2024. His grassroots campaign gained momentum, leading to the Fontana Unified Board’s unanimous approval in September 2024, a gesture that district leaders say helped spark community-wide reflection and accountability.

Dr. Daniel E. Walker, a former student of the school and now a noted historian and author, recalled the trauma of being the only Black child in his class during the 1970s. He recounted how his classmates once attempted to re-enact a scene from the TV series Roots—in which the character Kunta Kinte is whipped by his slave owner until he submits to being called “Toby”—on the tetherball courts behind where he stood speaking.

“When I walked up here today and saw this school named after O’Day Short, I knew the distance this place—and our community—has come,” he continued. “The leadership of this district today stands in stark contrast to the cancerous leadership that enabled this tragedy 80 years ago.”

Principal Michelle Avila echoed that commitment to transformation, pledging to make O’Day Short Elementary a place where every child belongs.

“We are deeply committed to ensuring our school reflects the values of its namesake—a place where every child feels seen, safe, and supported,” Avila said. “Where inclusivity isn’t just a goal, but a daily practice.”

She concluded, “Ceremonies like this are what heal hearts and bring people together.”