Washington and Lee University Retains Its Title amid Activist Tension

Washington and Lee University introduced that it would maintain its name just after months of deliberations in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests throughout the U.S.

Fairly than scrubbing the names of George Washington and confederate normal Robert E. Lee from the university, as a lot of activists demanded, the board of trustees unveiled a $225 million “strategic plan” to showcase the school’s dedication to racial equity.

The sum includes $160 million for further economic support, together with $40 million in resources towards curriculum “enhancements.” Portion of that $40 million will be made use of to establish a new middle for the research of “Southern race relations, society, and politics.”

“As we concentrate on the upcoming, our purpose is to create a extra assorted group, improve inclusion for all people at W&L, and aid the expert good results of our pupils and staff,” the university mentioned in a push launch saying the initiative. “We have reviewed campus symbols, names and practices, and we are creating variations to remove question about our separation from the Confederacy and the Misplaced Lead to.”

Whilst the Board of Trustees claimed it would “form a Board committee on Variety, Fairness and Inclusion,” no distinct funds have been declared towards that effort. The board voted 22-6 on Friday to maintain the college name, though it will rename the university’s “Lee Chapel” constructing as “University Chapel,” and stop celebrating its Founders Working day on Robert E. Lee’s birthday.

The vote arrived just after eleven months of deliberations regarding the school’s identify.

Substantial educational institutions, faculties, military bases and other institutions all around the place which are named following historical figures related to slavery or the confederacy have viewed as renaming in the wake of nationwide Black Life Make any difference protests final summer months. Those protests, along with prevalent riots, had been sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a previous Minneapolis law enforcement officer in Could 2020.

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