Education

UVA Gets Rid Of Historic Plaques Because They Feature Confederate Soldiers’ Names

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Rob Shimshock Education Reporter
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The University of Virginia got rid of historic plaques Sunday because they featured Confederate soldiers’ names.

The school removed the plaques early in the morning Sunday in accordance with the wishes of the Black Student Alliance (BSA) organization, reported The Cavalier Daily. UVA plans to move the plaques to a place where they can be exhibited as artifacts.

Two-thirds of respondents to a poll administered by The Cavalier Daily agreed with the notion of removing the plaques, which were displayed in the school’s historic Rotunda; 24 percent disagreed and nine percent had no opinion or were unsure.

“We are happy to see the plaques removed from the Rotunda, and we encourage the University to display them as a piece of our history in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library,” said Virginia Chambers, communications coordinator for the University Democrats at UVA, to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Chambers noted that the University Democrats signed the Black Students Association’s demands.

“At the end of the day this was a symbolic gesture that won’t do a ton to fix the very real race problems that exist at UVA,” said Adam Kimelman, chairman of UVA’s College Republicans, to TheDCNF.

Kimelman said many members of the group would like UVA to teach its history and perhaps supplement the plaques with another one for context.

“As for the other BSA demands, there are some points that our organization would probably overall support,” said the chairman. “Several points, including the clause calling the statue of Jefferson an emblem of white supremacy, we would disagree with.”

Kimelman said the College Republicans would work with the BSA and other organizations, but would make their disagreement known when present.

Charlottesville’s city council voted to take down the city’s Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson monuments, but a court injunction prohibits Charlottesville from removing the statues. (RELATED: VIDEO: Workers Cover Robert E. Lee Statue In Charlottesville)

UVA made headlines earlier in September when students covered a Thomas Jefferson statue and plastered a sign reading “Black Lives Matter — F*** White Supremacy” to it. (RELATED: Protesters Shroud  Thomas Jefferson Statue, Plaster BLM Sign To It)

The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to UVA for comment, but received none in time for publication.

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