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Keeping the names of Confederate figures on buildings etc. obviously tells Black people "we may say that you're welcome here, but you'll have to be fine with us celebrating people who fought to enslave your ancestors." That's obviously not acceptable. Now, what's overlooked...
...is that this also sends a weird message to white people: "Yeah, we're not for slavery etc., OBVIOUSLY, but let's reduce your history to ... guess what?" 2/(ra)n(t)
Keeping confederate names on buildings blocks naming slots that could be used to honor Black people, Latinx people, etc., but also Americans of European descent that do not represent a history of slavery. 3/(ra)n(t)
Here at JMU, the buildings mostly honor JMU profs and board members. OK. Then therer's plenty of Madison. But where do we honor, say, the Bluegrass culture of the area? The Mennonite tradition that's right in town? Post-segregation politics? 4/(ra)n(t)
The building names do not celebrate the richness and diversity of Virginia's culture and society, of JMU's context. They exclude Black people, people of color, but also white people who are not violent defenders of slavery. 5/(ra)n(t)
Example. Republicans: You may know that the son of the first Republican woman in the House of Delegates has been teaching at JMU for the last decade or so. Want to see her name on a building? Sorry! It's taken up by Ashby. 6/(ra)n(t)
Ralph Stanley Hall? Sorry, we gotta honor Stonewall Jackson! This stuff goes in all directions. If you replace (I know, jargon) inclusive excellence with exclusive mediocrity, you exclude everybody who you want to include. 7/(ra)n(t)
So, people who defend Confederate names: I don't get it. Somehow, for whatever reason (couldn't guess what it is) you insist on presenting a view of white Virginia that celebrates the absolute worst of it. Stop it! (e)n(d) of (ra)n(t)
