Switch it up & make it real for me! #Roomies, throughout this pandemic we have seen many people, businesses, and landmarks take back their power following citizens calling out racism. From statues torn down and historical name changes, our voices seem to be heard finally! Now we can add an Alabama HBCU to the list for doing the work.
Alabama State University (ASU) is renaming the “Bibb Graves” residence hall, which was named after David Bibb Graves, according to Abc News. David once was honored as a one-time governor who also led a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) over a century ago. ASU’s Graves’ hall carried the name since 1928 but was removed officially as of Wednesday. Although David resigned from the KKK and denounced its violence in the late 1920s, the damaging history is already made.
ASU followed suit, changing the name along with two other Alabama institutions. Troy University renamed their Bibb Graves Hall after Alabama native, the late Rep. John Lewis. The University of Montevallo, near Birmingham, voted to rename their building that also had David’s name.
This name change has been years in the making. ASU’s President Quinton T. Ross Jr. said the idea of changing the name had been discussed as far back when he was a student at the school. President Quinton said in a statement, ”Many of our alumni have asked for this to happen.”
The support behind this process came from Alabama State trustees unanimously voting to rename the building earlier this year, after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. At this time, the university hasn’t settled on a new name for the residence hall.
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