Princeton Drops Woodrow Wilson’s Name From Public Policy School

TOPLINE

Princeton University announced on Saturday it would remove Woodrow Wilson’s name from its public school because of his “racist thinking and policies”—the latest institution to ditch names or images of historical figures in the wake of protests against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd.

KEY FACTS

Crucial quote

“Wilson’s segregationist policies make him an especially inappropriate namesake for a public policy school. When a university names a school of public policy for a political leader, it inevitably suggests that the honoree is a model for students who study at the school. This searing moment in American history has made clear that Wilson’s racism disqualifies him from that role,” Eisgruber said in a statement.

News peg

Protesters across the county have toppled, vandalized and called for the removal of statues commemorating historical figures who owned slaves or espoused racist views—even those who aren’t primarily known for them. Demonstrators in Washington D.C., for example, are calling for the removal of a statue of Abraham Lincoln standing over a kneeling Black man, arguing it “fails to note in any way how enslaved African Americans pushed for their own emancipation,” Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the city in Congress, said.

Further reading

Charleston Will Remove Statue Of John C. Calhoun, Vice President Who Defended Slavery (Forbes)

California To Take Down Christopher Columbus Statue From State Capitol (Forbes)