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Washington and Lee University |
A group of African-American law students at Washington and Lee University in Virginia have asked the university to confront its racist past. Here is a taste from an article in Inside Higher Ed:
Black law students at Washington and Lee University, under a new group called “The Committee,” have asked Washington and Lee University to take a series of steps to address “the racist and dishonorable conduct of Robert E. Lee.” Lee served as president of the university after the Civil War, and has historically been revered at the institution. The Committee is calling on the university to observe the Martin Luther King Day as a formal day off, to stop allowing “neo-confederates to march on campus with Confederate flags on Lee-Jackson day,” and to formally apologize “for the university’s participation in chattel slavery” and “Robert E. Lee’s participation in slavery.”
A statement from the university noted that it does hold events to mark Martin Luther King Day every year, and that a decision to call off classes would have to be made by the faculty. The statement does not go into a detailed response on the other demands, but says that the university welcomes discussion on these issues and that “in terms of the other issues that the students have raised, we will give them all careful consideration.”
how about outlawing the university altogether…get your education somewhere else