Several days ago, a fellow student of mine published an op-ed in the Washington Post that calls on our university, the George Washington University, to change its name. The op-ed plays into the recent trend of judging historical figures by the standards some hold today. It also indulges in contemporary platitudes by placing the blame for current university issues on “systemic racism, institutional inequality and white supremacy.”
The author argues that the logical ways to move forward are by renaming the university (along with several other institutions at the school), by appointing an African-American president, by increasing enrollment of African-American students, and by implementing a “decolonized university curriculum.”
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