Reporter Olivia Decklar has the news: UO will rename buildings named after racists: Black students say that’s not enough. This is a surprise to me, I thought discussions had just started. Previous posts on Deady here.
Reporter Olivia Decklar has the news: UO will rename buildings named after racists: Black students say that’s not enough. This is a surprise to me, I thought discussions had just started. Previous posts on Deady here.
Good. The objections I’ve heard were not persuasive – that renaming buildings is “throwing things down the memory hole” (we have a history department, I’m not worried) or that Deady’s later stance toward Chinese immigrants somehow atones for the anti-Black racism he embedded in our state constitution and never removed.
Putting someone’s name on a building is not just a neutral act of recording history. It puts them in a place of prominence and both its initial placement and ongoing presence are a signal of the institution’s priorities. There is no reason we cannot evolve in our understanding of history and change who we want to honor.
Indeed, we have evolved well beyond those ancient empires that chiseled off the names on old monuments to enhance a better understanding of history. As with just a thought below, I do not care a fig about the name itself.
If they want to rename the building that’s fine. However, at the very least they should include a plaque or marker that explains why the decision was made. It should also give an honest portrayal of Deady. Visitors to the building can form their own opinions on matter.
Dang. I just moved into a house on Jefferson Street and got a bunch of new return address labels printed up, and now we’re going to have to change the name of my street too. Or maybe we could pull a King County, Washington, and rename the street after Blind Lemon Jefferson. Problem solved.
I’m wanting to see a link for that Blind Lemon Jefferson story.
http://www.kingcounty.gov/operations/logo.aspx
From the above story:
“The change came as part of a 20-year bi-partisan effort that began in 1986 when then-County Councilman Bruce Laing proposed that the county’s namesake be changed. The county was originally named in 1852 after Vice President William Rufus de Vane King, a slave owner and advocate for the Fugitive Slave Act. Since the namesake change, numerous state and local elected and community leaders advocated for state ratification of the namesake change and county council approval of a logo change.
In 2005, the state Legislature formally voted to make Dr. King the County’s official namesake.”
It seems timely for an evaluation of results from the expanded and very well funded office of equity and inclusion. They have hired many new people. I see evidence of meetings, videos and the like.Hhow do their activities link back to visible results regarding concerns expressed here? Are results being communicated to the university community?