Students react to keeping Calhoun name
Calhoun College is named for John C. Calhoun, the vice president who was a feverish supporter of slavery
As criticism of Yale’s decision not to change the name of Calhoun College spread online and debate rages on about the decision to name one of the new residential colleges after Benjamin Franklin, Yale students gathered on Cross Campus to protest.
Photo courtesy of Genevieve Simmons
Across various social media platforms, undergraduates, graduate students and other allies wrote:
“I stand with Yale students who refuse to tolerate the continued disrespect of people of color in a place that calls itself their home. Their intergenerational pain is an injustice–it should not be continued for the sake of your history lesson. Together, we rid this campus of what John C. Calhoun represents. In the face of administrative failure, Calhoun College will now be Formerly Known As Calhoun”.
Photo courtesy of Genevieve Simmons
Similar to the March of Resilience in the fall, students chanted, “We out here, we been here, we ain’t leaving, we are loved”. Some undergraduates wore t-shirts with the name Calhoun crossed out in black tapes, but the majority were dressed in all black.
Photo courtesy of Genevieve Simmons
Photo courtesy of Genevieve Simmons
Photo courtesy of Genevieve Simmons