It looks like another bites the dust. This time, Princeton University has made the decision to remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from its public policy school. Wilson not only served as the 28th president of the United States, but he also served as the president of Princeton from 1902-1910.
According to AP News, Christopher Eisgruber, the current president of the ivy league institution made the announcement on Saturday and said, “The trustees concluded that Woodrow Wilson’s racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students, and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms.”
The AP points out that, the school’s decision to remove Wilson’s name from the school comes four years after they decided to keep his name.
Eisgruber continued to say, “The board reconsidered these conclusions this month as the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks drew renewed attention to the long and damaging history of racism in America.”
“Wilson’s racism was significant and consequential even by the standards of his own time. He segregated the federal civil service after it had been racially integrated for decades, thereby taking America backward in its pursuit of justice. He not only acquiesced in but added to the persistent practice of racism in this country, a practice that continues to do harm today, said Eisgruber.
Earlier this month Monmouth University of New Jersey removed Wilson’s name, and the superintendent of the Camden school district also announced plans to rename Woodrow Wilson High School.
As we previously reported, in response to the recent uprisings, many institutions are either making changes to the names of some of their buildings, or statues are being removed. Earlier this week it was announced that the statue of Theodore Roosevelt would be removed from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
