When I saw the title of this thread, I assumed the opinion piece would be about the nickname. This is about the name of the university itself. That's crazy. I'm not terribly old but with this issue I feel like I'm screaming "get off my lawn!" 

See what once again is happening is people forget we can honor the positive in history and learn about it alongside the bad parts. We can simultaneously hold respect for the work George Washington did leading this country to become a country and still talk about how he owned slaves and, like so many in his day, was a racist, white, wealthy land-owner. 

You can argue a black university president would be great and I'd agree. That could be great for the university. And I'm sure there are many candidates who would be great and I hope they get a fair chance at the position. I'd, honestly, prefer we move away from the old white, long-entrenched in academia presidents. They don't seem to be working for us recently. 

But to talk about the importance of lifting up underrepresented groups at the school by trashing the name on the university strikes me as wrong. If the opinion piece was simply, it's time for better representation at GW and they can show this by hiring a minority president, that could be a great opinion piece. But to wrap it in, the university needs to re-brand itself just takes away from the main argument and weakens it significantly. 

I could write a treatise on this -but I will spare all of you.All I can say is my first degree was in History
at GW.Recently It was brought to my attention that the degree is meaningless because a degree in History
is the equivalent of a degree in “fake news”.The far right and the far left have taken over the narrative-I find 
it very disturbing for our sanity and our democracy.We have been here before many times in world history.
The conflict generally ends with a totalitarian dictatorship of the "Right or the "Left".I'm glad I'm 75 years old,
and hopefully,won't be here for the denouement.

Last edited by GW69 (5/11/2022 9:06 am)

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2018-19, 10.3% of bachelor degree earners were black.  GW reports that 10.7% of its student body was black last year.  If the author wants to claim that blacks are underrepresented at GW, I'd like a bit more other than to take his word for it.

When the discussion regarding the Colonials moniker took place here, several asked what was next...changing the name of the school?  This wasn't being said as a joke.  ColonialNY put it very well.  Are we supposed to ignore or forget about all of the positive accomplishments?  Should the name George Washington be forever vilified because he was a white, wealthy slaveowner, as was the societal norm among many other white, wealthy men during this time?  Again, we are talking about a founding father and first president of our country.

None of this is to diminish the abhorrent nature of what we're referring to.  We've now known for hundreds of years how awful a practice this was.  Tragically, back then, owning slaves was a way of life for some, as uncomfortable a notion as this is to begin to accept today. George Washington did have a moral dilemma about this, and in his will, ordered the emancipation of his family owned slaves upon his and Martha's deaths.

Gee; thanks Caleb.  You just gave Fox News and the rest of the Grievance-Industrial complex thousands of hours of material by suggesting in the Washington post that we cancel George Washington.  Changing the name will accomplish absolutely nothing except exacerbating backlash against those fighting for racial justice. 

In other words, this college senior just made the fight for racial justice more difficult with the kind of lunacy that pushes swing voters into the arms of the fascists.  Good job.

Free Quebec wrote:

Gee; thanks Caleb. You just gave Fox News and the rest of the Grievance-Industrial complex thousands of hours of material by suggesting in the Washington post that we cancel George Washington. Changing the name will accomplish absolutely nothing except exacerbating backlash against those fighting for racial justice.

In other words, this college senior just made the fight for racial justice more difficult with the kind of lunacy that pushes swing voters into the arms of the fascists. Good job.

1) Thanks GW0509. Was waiting for someone to post this.
2) FQ's comments, in terms of political reality, offer a lot to think about. Haven't read The Post comments since
yesterday, but at one point, it seemed like 78 of 79 comments mocked this article.
 3) Very proud of Mr. Francois for getting his piece published as a student, no matter how naive and
foolish some points seem. Look at one of his renaming suggestions.
4) But having accomplished that, he opens himself up to criticism by any normal thinking person with real-life
experience. His generation doesn't take a hint of criticism or need for self-improvement well (see our 6-year
nosedive because of allegedly tender feelings). So hope it is not too traumatic for Caleb, to read the comments. Again, good job on getting this out in public, regardless of whether its lack of intellectual rigor to put it mildly, embarrasses anyone who graduated from the same institution or not.
5) As transparently misplaced and naive at best, some of his suggestions are, frankly, the name of the university
is way more of a relevant issue than the name Colonials, which will no doubt be replaced just to satisfy some students. And congratulations to young Mr. Francois for not mentioning the nickname (couldn't stand to read it several times to double-check).
  It is a debate worth having at some point and we have to acknowledge that George Washington owned slaves, an
incredibly horrible and totally inexcusable act that taints U.S. history with deep shame, even if reflective of the time and place. We also have to acknowledge huge ameliorating factors as pointed out by posters here, including that he apparently long planned to free his slaves, no doubt a rarity in VA. GW does need to own up to that in some fashion, perhaps starting in the history dept. 
  Caleb's writing offers little intellectual food for thought, beyond the obvious.  For example, limiting job candidates to a single race, believe is illegal.. 
  Changing the name of the university right now or maybe ever, for practical and historically honest and other reasons, is not something that deserves priority attention today, though again the legacy is worth reflecting on
to a nuanced extent. 
   But it sure doesn't mean changing the perfectly proper Colonials name and we shouldn't accept it.





 

Last edited by jf (5/11/2022 12:04 pm)

Free Quebec wrote:

Gee; thanks Caleb. You just gave Fox News and the rest of the Grievance-Industrial complex thousands of hours of material by suggesting in the Washington post that we cancel George Washington. Changing the name will accomplish absolutely nothing except exacerbating backlash against those fighting for racial justice.

In other words, this college senior just made the fight for racial justice more difficult with the kind of lunacy that pushes swing voters into the arms of the fascists. Good job.

I would think that there are many who disagree with the author's notion that are not Fox News viewers and not in the "grievance-Industrial complex" -which is a great phrase by the way.  

If you are looking for perverse pleasure at what Mr. Francois has wrought in the name of The George Washington University, read The Washington Post comments.
Spoiler alert: About 98.5 to 1 against, by individuals of all political stripes. But very interestingly expressed.

Alum Abroad-That was not my experience in the History department.I’m not trying to be cute here but
Im not sure what kind turn out there would be for a course in Wolof.Having said that I probably would 
have registered for it.I do believe they teach Arabic at GW a very important and relevant language.
I can’t speak to the number of Black profs in International Affairs-but I’m all for more.

Yes. Save us all (Ok, a few) from ourselves. Sign a transfer!