A Virginia college is removing the names of Revolutionary War-era figures from its buildings and landmarks in an effort to be more “inclusive.”
Virginia Peninsula Community College announced that it would change the names of two of its halls, one named for Founding Father George Wythe and the other for Dr. Corbin Griffin, who served as a surgeon for Virginia Patriot soldiers.
“Virginia Peninsula Community College is renaming Griffin and Wythe halls, which are connected and function as one building, to Kecoughtan Hall. The name is a tribute to the Kecoughtan tribe, the early settlers of the land where VPCC’s Hampton campus is located,” VPCC announced on its website.
Steven Felker, a school official, said the process of changing over the signs will be “gradual.” The school had formed a naming task force and gathered feedback from faculty, student government, and others on the proposed changes.
VPCC was previously named Thomas Nelson Community College. Nelson was another Revolutionary War hero and signer of the Declaration of Independence. His name was removed so the college could be more “welcoming, inclusive, and representative of our unique region,” according to school president Towuanna Porter Brannon.
The college’s president said that the decision was made after a review of the names of the buildings and landmarks. The president said that the names of the figures were chosen because they were “representative of the values of the college.”
However, some students and alumni have argued that the names of the figures are important to the college’s history and should not be removed. They say that the names represent the college’s commitment to freedom and democracy.
The college’s decision has sparked a debate about the role of history in education. Some people believe that history should be taught in an objective manner, without any attempt to be “inclusive.” Others believe that history should be taught in a way that reflects the diversity of the people who made it.
@VPCCva says the name honors the original #nativeamerican cultures of the Peninsula, making it more inclusive. https://t.co/B0tZhh6aLg
— VA's Comm Colleges (@VCCS_SO) August 22, 2023
