Racist names to remain on buildings and colleges after Georgia’s Board of Regents vote

All bark, but no bite is how many are describing the University System of Georgia’s decision not to pursue initial plans to rename dozens of buildings and colleges named for historical figures associated with racism.

In an unexplained decision, the Regents decided in a vote last week that it won’t rename any of the 75 buildings or colleges an internal committee had recommended for changes mostly because of their association with slavery, segregation or mistreatment of American Indians.

More than a year after the University System of Georgia’ put on a ‘dog and pony show’ to establish a committee to study the issue of renaming, the Regents voted not to accept the recommendations of its advisory board. Headed up by Albany State University President Marion Fedrick, the advisory board was formed by the Regents in June of 2019 to explore the issue weeks after George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered in Minneapolis by a white police officer, which kicked off street protests across the country.

This advisory board was formed by the Regents as a national call for removal of statues honoring Confederate political and military leaders was taking place around the country.

“The intent of the advisory group was to better understand the names that mark our buildings and colleges, recognizing there would likely be a number of individuals who engaged in behaviors or held beliefs that do not reflect or represent our values today,” the regents wrote in a joint statement. “We acknowledge, understand and respect there are many viewpoints on this matter. Going forward, the board is committed to naming actions that reflect the strength and energy of Georgia’s diversity.”

Many are not buying what Waters and fellow Regents are selling, saying these admirable comments are being offered to placate the matter, but it will not go away just because the regents took a vote not to act. 

Political watchers know that these are the same groups across the state, led by Governor Bryan Kemp, who have actively worked to block Critical Race Theory (CRT) from being taught in schools across Georgia. They foolishly claim concerns for how it would make some students feel about themselves when it comes to race. While Kemp and others claim concern and seek to protect these groups of students, they have turned their backs and clearly do not care about the emotional wellbeing of students of color or those of Native American descent. Students from these demographic groups have been forced to attend schools and institutions named after slave holders, those from the civil war, abolitionist, and members of the Kul Klux Klan. 

Supporters of change blasted the regents’ decision. “The decision by Georgia’s Board of Regents to keep the names of known racists, segregationists and white supremacists of the state’s public colleges and universities is not surprising. It demonstrates to us the board’s support of racism and the upholding of white supremacy,” a group called Rename Grady said in a statement.

After Kemp took office, Georgia passed a law in 2019 prohibiting state and local agencies from renaming any buildings named after a “historical entity” or removing any historical monument. Several regents released statements after the vote, but none directly explained why they supported making no changes. Many of the regents were appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who supported the 2019 law. Kemp also led the vote through his appointees on the Georgia School board to ban CRT from being taught in Georgia.

Said Regent member Sarah-Elizabeth Langford of Atlanta who is black, “The University System of Georgia is majority minority – 54% of our students identify as non-white, representing the strength and diversity of this state. In a university system tasked with educating the leaders of tomorrow, we must support the students of today and create an inclusive environment for learning. This is incredibly important as the board works to ensure future namings reflect the strength of Georgia’s diverse communities.”

Among its recommendations, the advisory committee recommended the system choose a new name for Gordon State College in Barnesville, named after John Brown Gordon, a Confederate general in the Civil War. Gordon later served as governor and U.S. senator after Georgia rejoined the Union, was one of the most powerful politicians in a state Democratic Party devoted to white rule, with some historians crediting him with being the titular head of the post-Civil War Ku Klux Klan in Georgia.

The committee also recommended renaming three academic units; Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Georgia needed a name change, citing newspaper editor Henry W. Grady’s support of white supremacy even as he preached a “New South” creed of industrialization. Langdale College of Business Administration at Valdosta State University was also on the list with the committee saying the fortune of Harley Langdale Jr. was based on camps where African American workers made turpentine from pine resin. They were largely held in place by debt, legal threats and violence. The advisory board said Stafford School of Business at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College needed changes as Stafford was a leader in the fight to maintain segregation in Georgia in the 1950s.

Many students at Emory were unaware of their schools’ racist past, but now are as they seek action from school leadership. Emory had announced earlier this year plans to rename at least one building on its campus linked to racist history.

Even though the Regents are refusing to act, many local governments in Georgia have been removing monuments or renaming buildings that formerly honored Confederates, slaveholders or white supremacists, despite a state law designed to prohibit such changes.