Why Princeton students want Ivy to drop Woodrow Wilson name, portraits
After a 32-hour sit-in outside the president's office, school officials are now considering some of the protesters' demands.
After a 32-hour sit-in outside the president's office, school officials are now considering some of the protesters' demands.
Princeton University will consider expunging former United States President Woodrow Wilson鈥檚 name from facilities and school programs after signing a deal with student demonstrators who feel he has a racist legacy.
Student demonstrators and top administrators at New Jersey's prestigious Ivy League school solidified the agreement after members of the Black Justice League student organization staged a 32-hour sit-in outside聽Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber鈥檚 office.
Mr. Eisgruber said Princeton appreciated the "willingness of the students to work with us to find a way forward," in a university statement.
The demonstrators demanded the removal of Mr. Wilson鈥檚 name and image from public spaces, and a name change for Princeton鈥檚 Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. They also wanted the school to establish a cultural competency and diversity training program and select a space for 鈥渃ultural affinity鈥� groups.
The school now says it will consider removing a mural of Wilson, begin conversations about Wilson鈥檚 legacy, and boost cultural competency training for faculty. Administrators agreed not to impose any formal disciplinary action against the student protesters who peacefully left the office.
At the time of his presidency (from 1913 to 1921), Wilson was considered one of the most prominent leaders of the Progressive Movement. However, he publicly supported racial segregation, which was legal at the time and part of public policy in all 50 states.聽Segregation in public accommodations was not banned until decades later, when President Lyndon Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
While in office, Wilson organized a private screening of the film "Birth of a Nation," which was widely criticized by the NAACP at the time and later became a recruiting tool for the Klu Klux Klan. As Boston University Professor William Keyler noted in a 2013 article on the university website:
Demands for the erasure of Wilson鈥檚 name from Princeton property and programs coincides with a wave of protests at US colleges over the treatment of minority students. Wilson served as president of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910.
This report contains material from Reuters and the Associated Press.