On the heels of the U.S. Marine Corps officially removing the Confederate flag from its bases, the University of Alabama is following in similar fashion. In a recent announcement, the University of Alabama stated that it plans to remove three Confederate plaques from campus—with more changes to come.
@ABC3340 reports, the University of Alabama just made a major decision that many will agree is a long time coming. It has been confirmed that three Confederate plaques on campus will be removed—and the names of all the buildings on campus are being reviewed. As you may be aware, the names of buildings at the University of Alabama have a very racist history and a recent petition was created to have them renamed.
The Confederate plaques will be removed from the main library on campus to “a more appropriate historical setting,” according to news release from the university. Additionally, select members of the University of Alabama’s Board of Trustees have been appointed to study the names of buildings on all campuses within the school’s system and report to the board on any recommended changes.
The initial petition calling for the renaming was created by a student Mackenzi Dugan, who directly addressed University of Alabama President Dr. Stuart Bell. “I felt like I couldn’t just sit and post on social media. I had to actually do something to make a change, and like you said , I do go in these buildings all the time and once I learned what they were named after I was sick,” Dugan said.
Student Government Association President Demarcus Joiner, also expressed the need for a change on campus. “As a black male, it’s hard walking on campus past the building of someone who wanted you to be a slave for the rest of your life…it’s time for change,” he said.
The UA system includes three universities and the UAB Health System, with more than 70,000 students in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville.
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