In the summer of 2021, the Trustees of Washington and Lee University voted to retain name of the institution. Throughout the previous year, many Confederate monuments were removed, and the names of other institutions throughout Virginia and the rest of the south were changed. In addition, an overwhelming majority of the faculty voted in support of a name change, and various groups of students circulated petitions and engaged in protest of the name. On this episode, my guests Rev. Robert W. Lee, IV (https://www.roblee4.com/), Ty Seidule (www.tyseidule.com), Professors Nneka Dennie and Brandon Hasbrouck, and Washington and Lee Law alum Adenike Miles-Sorinmade will discuss the efforts to change the name, the aftermath of the Trustee decision, and the meaning of naming and monuments.

In a press release the University stated: Despite these vital contributions, the board acknowledged that the association with its namesakes can be painful to those who continue to experience racism. It repudiated racial injustice in any form and expressed regret for the University’s past veneration of the Confederacy and the fact that the university itself owned human beings and benefited from their forced labor and sale. It also reiterated its ongoing commitment to conducting rigorous and nuanced explorations of W&L’s history with humility and honesty. The board concluded that the university’s name recognizes the connections of its namesakes to the institution, but is also associated with an exceptional liberal arts and legal education and common experiences and values that are independent of the personal histories of the two men. It cited the university’s name and reputation as a source of strength and resources that it may build and draw upon to advance its mission and support the students, staff, programs and facilities to meet its strategic goals.