Williams: MCV robbed black graves for medical training. In addressing this, VCU must move beyond
Williams: MCV robbed black graves for medical training. In addressing this, VCU must move beyond commemoration.
We are in the age of historical mea culpas in higher education.
Brown University led the way 15 years ago with its Committee on Slavery and Justice. More recently, under then-president Teresa Sullivan, the University of Virginia established the Presidents Commission on Slavery and the University.
In April, the College of William and Marys board of visitors acknowledged that W&M enslaved people, exploited them and their labor, and perpetuated the legacies of racial discrimination, and issued an apology.
That schools board also extended The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation, established in April 2009 to deepen the schools understanding of its role in slavery and Jim Crow and its past treatment of African-Americans through research, courses, forums and social media.
Now, in a more low-key fashion, comes Virginia Commonwealth University as it comes to terms with a large blot on its history: the robbing of African-American graves to provide cadavers for students at the Medical College of Virginia during the 19th century.
Read more:
https://www.richmond.com/news/local/michael-paul-williams/williams-mcv-robbed-black-graves-for-medical-training-in-addressing/article_c61677cf-120e-5ad4-99cf-df5e36969d3c.html