Showing posts with label The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation. Show all posts

Saturday, April 21, 2018

The College of William & Mary apologizes for its role in slavery, segregation

The Board of Visitors for The College of William & Mary voted unanimously to approve a resolution apologizing for the university’s role in slavery and segregation at their full board meeting.

“The Board of Visitors acknowledges that William and Mary enslaved people, exploited them and their labor and perpetuated the legacies of racial discrimination,” College President Taylor Reveley said, reading from the resolution. “The Board profoundly regrets these activities, apologizes for them, expresses its deep appreciation for the contributions made by the African-American members of its community to the vitality of William and Mary then, now, and for all time coming, and commits to continue our efforts to remedy the lingering effects of past injustices.”


Read the full resolution below:

A JOURNEY OF RECONCILIATION: APOLOGY FOR WILLIAM AND MARY’S PART IN SLAVERY AND SEGREGATION
Whereas, in April 2009, the Board of Visitors adopted Resolution 21, acknowledging William & Mary’s role in slavery and Jim Crow and establishing “The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation”; and
Whereas, over the past nine years, William & Mary’s Lemon Project has greatly deepened our understanding of William & Mary’s history during the eras of slavery and segregation through research, courses and symposia; and
Whereas, The Lemon Project has expanded our engagement and reconciliation with the Williamsburg community through porch talks, public talks, articles and social media; and
Whereas, The Lemon Project has established itself as a leader among universities examining their past treatment of African Americans; and
Whereas, through the Lemon Project we will launch a process to design, fund and construct a memorial on campus to those enslaved by William & Mary; and
Whereas, over the past academic year, William & Mary has commemorated and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first three African American students in residence on campus with performances, lectures, symposia, panels and other commemorative events; and
Whereas, the Race and Race Relations Task Force, established by President Reveley in 2015 and chaired by Dr. W Fanchon Glover, identified ways to improve the campus racial climate; and
Whereas, President Reveley created an Implementation Team to comprehensively review the steps urged by the Race and Race Relations Task Force, and the Implementation Team presented its final report in April 2018, describing progress made to date; and
Whereas, the Board of Visitors applauds the progress and thanks both the Race and Race Relations Task Force and the Implementation Team; and
Whereas, the Board of Visitors recognizes a continuing need to examine and learn from William & Mary’s role in slavery, secession and segregation, both through the ongoing work of The Lemon Project and other research, dialogue and reflection;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Board of Visitors salutes the foundational scholarship of the late Robert F. Engs and the work of The Lemon Project and its director, Jody Lynn Allen;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Visitors acknowledges that William & Mary enslaved people, exploited them and their labor, and perpetuated the legacies of racial discrimination. The Board profoundly regrets these activities, apologizes for them, expresses its deep appreciation for the contributions made by the African American members of its community to the vitality of William & Mary then, now, and for all time coming, and commits to continue our efforts to remedy the lingering effects of past injustices; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That this resolution be spread upon the minutes of the Board and a copy of the same be delivered to Professor Jody Allen with gratitude and best wishes for her continued leadership of The Lemon Project.