I thought it might be nice to start the end of the work week on a lighter note. Looking forward to two trips to Gettysburg this summer. The first is the annual Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. This year will be my busiest institute yet. I will deliver a talk on the Crater, lead a breakout session on Confederate morale in the summer of 1864 as well as a dine-in on Pat Cleburne’s proposal to arm slaves. The highlight for me, however, will be the opportunity to once again work with the high school students.
A week later I head back to Gettysburg to take part in the 2014 Sacred Trust Talks. My talk is at 3:30pm on July 5 with a book signing at 4:30pm. Hope to see some of you between these two events.
According to the members of “The Committee” both the chapel’s Confederate flags and its use by “neo-confederates” have contributed to “both the past and current racial bigotry and discrimination found on our campus.” I don’t for a minute deny that these students perceive the chapel as contributing to the school’s racial climate, but that shouldn’t prevent us from taking a quick look at how the chapel has been utilized. What follows is not meant in any way as an exhaustive list of the range of speakers and subjects that have been discussed in the Lee Chapel, but as a small sample. [click to continue…]
There seems to be some confusion about my response to yesterday’s story surrounding a list of demands made by students at W&L concerning their school’s relationship with Confederate heritage. Let me assure you that my response is perfectly consistent with positions taken in the past. [click to continue…]
Update: Thanks to Stuart W. Sanders, who at one time worked as a docent at the Lee Chapel, for providing some context to this discussion. Update #2: Here is W&L president’s response to “The Committee.”
Statement by “The Committee”
I first heard about this story on one of the Southern Heritage Facebook pages, but now a group of black law students at Washington & Lee University, who are demanding that their university distance itself from its Confederate past is gaining some traction [and here]. This push comes on the heels of the steps taken by the city of Lexington to limit the display of the Confederate flag on public property.
The group of students, who call themselves “The Committee” have published a list of demands that includes a formal recognition of MLK Day and an apology from the university for its participation in slavery. They are on shakier ground, in my opinion, with the following two demands. [click to continue…]
This past weekend a panel discussion was held at the annual meeting of the OAH on whether blogging ought to be considered scholarship. I didn’t travel to the OAH this year and even if I did I likely would not have attended this particular session since I don’t work in academia and the question and broader topic is largely irrelevant to me. Still, I do interact on occasion with academics and once in a while I have to deal with their skepticism about blogging. [click to continue…]
Your Voice