Clemson to launch task force studying polarizing name of Tillman Hall
Aaron Brenner
Jul 17 2015 4:21 pm
Jul 17 4:46 pm
CLEMSON — Clemson University doesn’t have a Confederate Flag to take down, but the university building named for a polarizing historical figure is now under similar scrutiny.
The Clemson Board of Trustees unanimously voted during its summer quarterly meeting Friday to approve a resolution appointing a task force to study whether Tillman Hall should be renamed.
Benjamin Tillman, a founder of Clemson University, was the governor of South Carolina and a U.S. senator in the late 19th century. He is also remembered as “an ardent racist and led a campaign of terror against African-Americans in South Carolina that included intimidation and violence of which he boasted about publicly,” per the board’s statement read aloud Friday by Chairman David Wilkins.
“For some members of our university family Benjamin Tillman’s legacy included not only contributions to Clemson University but also oppression, terror and hate” ...
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150717/PC20/150719426/1006/clemson-to-launch-task-force-studying-polarizing-name-of-tillman-hall
