The University of Alabama is renaming a building after its first Black student, removing the name of a Klansman

Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by BusbyBusby
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(CNN) After a week of backlash, the University of Alabama System's Board of Trustees voted Friday to name a building after the school's first Black student instead of having her share the name with a Ku Klux Klan leader.

The trustees reversed a February 3 decision to name the building Lucy-Graves Hall after its first Black student and civil rights activist Autherine Lucy Foster and Bibb Graves, a former Alabama governor and a Ku Klux Klan leader.

Students, faculty and community members cried out, saying it was wrong to recognize the legacy of these two people in one building.

"This has been a challenging time. The work group in making its recommendations certainly intended for that paired name to generate educational moments that can help us learn from our complex and rich history," trustee emeritus Judge John England Jr. said at the special called Friday meeting

"Somehow, the honoring of Autherine Lucy Foster sort of took the background and that's not what we wanted," England said. "We've heard enough from people whose opinion matter to us -- students, faculty, staff -- that we can do that in a better way than what we've done."

sammystevens on February 12nd, 2022 at 15:28 UTC »

Yall still got buildings named after Jefferson Davis?

greed-man on February 12nd, 2022 at 15:19 UTC »

Want to know who has the most major buildings in the State of Alabama named after him?

Richard Shelby, the best Senator that you could buy....it only cost naming rights.

rmacoon on February 12nd, 2022 at 15:11 UTC »

As a longtime resident of the American South, I can say the fact that they tried to stick both names on the building as a "compromise" is the most South shit ever