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Following Protests, Princeton May Remove Woodrow Wilson's Name From School Buildings
By
Emma Whitford
Published Nov 20, 2015
Modified Nov 21, 2015
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By
Emma Whitford
Published Nov 20, 2015
Modified Nov 21, 2015
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Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber stated on Thursday night that his administration will "initiate the process to consider" removing a prominent mural of Woodrow Wilson from the university campus, and renaming campus buildings that bear the alumnus and former president's name.
The announcement ended a 32-hour sit-in inside Eisgruber's office, organized by the Black Justice League—a student coalition formed "in solidarity with Ferguson and dismantling racism on our campus."
"We demand the university administration publicly acknowledge the racist legacy of Woodrow Wilson and how he impacted campus policy and culture," the group stated on Facebook Wednesday afternoon. "We also demand that steps be made to rename Wilson residential college, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs, and any other building named after him."
"We must... come to acknowledge that our past was white-centered, white-focused and plagued with white supremacist ideology," said sophomore Wilglory Tanjong in a recent op-ed for the Daily Princetonian.
About 30 students participated in the "Walkout and Speakout" on Wednesday morning, walking out of their classes and marching to Eisgruber's office. Some stayed inside the office overnight Wednesday while others camped outside. According to the NY Times, Eisgruber told students inside his office that he agreed that Wilson was a racist. However, some of his actions had also been "honorable."
Wilson graduated from Princeton in 1879, and served as the school's president from 1902 to 1910, before being elected as President of the United States in 1913. Wilson is in the history books for his leadership during the Progressive Movement, which supported labor rights and a more powerful central government. He was also a proponent of racial segregation.
In September, the BJL put up posters around campus bearing Wilson quotes like "Segregation is not a humiliation but a benefit," and "...at last there had sprung into existence a great Ku Klux Klan, a veritable empire of the south, to protect the southern country."
The BJL also went into Wednesday's sit-in demanding the creation of "Affinity Housing," or campus housing set aside for "Cultural Affinity Groups." The administration agreed to "immediately" set aside common rooms in the student center for such groups, and has agreed to "begin discussions on the viability of" residential housing for those "interested in black culture."
The protestors' final demand was in regards to implementing "cultural competency training," which the administration agreed to discuss. Princeton has agreed to make an effort to display more art showing people of various ethnic backgrounds, and will consider implementing a diversity requirement for undergrads.
Following yesterday's announcement, undergrad Iris Samuel told the told the university paper that erasing Wilson's name and likeness from campus "would be treating a very superficial aspect of the problem," adding, "Woodrow Wilson should be judged as a member of his time. I'm not saying his actions are legitimate, I'm saying that America as a whole was wrong."
Esther Maddox disagreed, describing the sit-in and negotiations that followed as "a long, exhausting and really trying experience." She added, "[We are] creating a campus environment that will eventually allow people like me to feel more comfortable on this campus."
"We appreciate the willingness of the students to work with us to find a way forward for them, for us and for our community,” Eisgruber said in a statement Thursday. “We were able to assure them that their concerns would be raised and considered through appropriate processes."
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