Changing the Name of Two Literary Societies

Sticking my head up from the antebellum literary society stuff that's consuming me right now, to mention this news from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  It came from a loyal reader, who, since he's from Virginia, should have an appropriate pseudonym like "St. George Tucker."  Or maybe "Beverly Tucker."  Or perhaps "Colonel Chamberlayne." 

St. Christopher's School in Richmond, one of our nation's most elite prep schools, is changing the name of its two literary societies -- from the Lees and the Jacksons to the Chamberlayne Reds and Chamberlayne Greys.  The school's founder was Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne.

From the Times-Dispatch article:

In the school's letter Wednesday to parents and alumni about the name change, Headmaster Charley Stillwell said that in recent years, "history has attached a stigma of prejudice and intolerance to some individuals and symbols connected with the Confederacy, making some of our internal and external community feel uncomfortable and marginalized."

Also, from the article:

Terry Price, associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Richmond's Jepson School of Leadership Studies, said: "I think it is a mistake to equate the name change with a missed chance to understand our history.

"Having a literary society or building or scholarship named after an individual insulates that person's character from critical discussion more so than it prompts moral reflection and analysis," he said.

"If they want students to understand these two men, with all their virtues and failings, they are better served moving away from a practice that necessarily implies veneration.

Sounds like this is the perfect opportunity for a literary address on ... the meaning of history. 

Update: There's a facebook group protesting the move, "Save the Jacksons and the Lees."

Comments

[Chad]

This type of thinking would logically lead to the Jeffersons, Madisons, and even Washingtons of the honorifically named world...