23 Feb 2021
Students at the University of Washington (UW) are demanding that the school remove a statue of George Washington, claiming that its existence “perpetuates white supremacy.” Washington, the first U.S. president, is the namesake of both the university and the state it is located in.
A petition started by the University of Washington Black Student Union titled, “Demand for the University of Washington Administration to Meet the Needs of Black Students,” demands that the university “remove statues of racist figures,” and specifically calls out George Washington.
“Statues in place at the University of Washington are preservers of our dark past,” the petition reads. “The George Washington statue, in particular, symbolizes a man who owned over 300 black slaves and profited from their labor.”
Baylor University
When the Texas Baptist Education Society petitioned the Congress of the Republic of Texas for a charter to start a university, the first name suggested was “San Jacinto” to recognize the victory which enabled the Texans to become an independent nation. Then it was changed to honor revolutionary hero Ben Milam. Just before the final vote of the Congress, the petitioners requested the university be named in honor of Judge R. E. B. Baylor. Republic of Texas President Anson Jones signed the Act of Congress on February 1, 1845, officially chartering it as Baylor University.
Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor (1793-1873)
Baylor U. Students Demand School Remove Statue of Namesake Judge Baylor
20 Feb 2021
Students at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, are demanding the school remove a statue of Judge Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor the namesake and co-founder of the university from campus.
Student protesters took a photo in front of the Judge Baylor statue, holding Black Lives Matter signs and dressed in all black clothing on Baylor’s 176 birthday, as well as the first day of Black History Month, according to a report by the
“The point of the picture is not to remove Judge Baylor as a whole. It’s to remove Judge Baylor from campus,” student Sam Onilenla told the newspaper. “I don’t want to see it on campus just because I know I’m not supposed to be here, according to him. Having him off campus is going to be the start of racial healing.”
Universities are a lot like gardens. Properly planted and carefully cultivated, they can produce inspiring growth that enriches society for years. But for gardens to flourish, pruning must allow for new growth. A common mistake for green gardeners, however, is to inadvertently mistake a thorny bush for an unwanted intruder. In this vein, some students of Baylor University have sought the removal of their garden’s centerpiece on the basis of how “uncomfortable” it makes them feel.
The last time I zeroed in on Baylor University in Waco, Texas in July 2020, the institution’s administration and faculty had started the ball rolling, placing Baylor well on the road to transformation from a once revered Christian university to a “politically-correct” but obscenely expensive version of their state school counterparts.