Opinion: Renaming Saunders was a good step, but problems remain

On Monday, maintenance crews sanded the name “Saunders” off the building which is now called Carolina Hall. They stood on ladders and removed, letter by letter, the name of a member of the North Carolina Klu Klux Klan.

This is not nothing. This moment, this decision to no longer honor him, is a victory.

Another victory is in the least publicized part of the Board of Trustees’ decision: a move to begin educational programming around the full history of UNC. The first resolution will do a number of things — placing plaques on sites such as McCorkle Place (the site of Silent Sam and the Unsung Founders Memorial) and on Carolina Hall.

Most importantly, it suggests the implementation of various educational programs for future students.

There is not a way to know what the educational programs will look like or how much input student activists will have in the creation of the programs, but this program has the potential to be an answer to those who claim that removing the name “Saunders” will in turn erase history.

Suggested ideas, like a module for incoming students, could potentially ensure students understand much of the University was built by enslaved black people.

There are many things this educational program could be, but it can only be truly effective if it is created with current students and faculty. Not an online survey or focus group — only a true collaboration would create a comprehensive way for students and visitors to learn not just white supremacy but also about the long legacy of resistance and struggle against it at UNC.

This resolution places a 16-year “freeze” on the renaming of buildings and monuments at UNC.

Board chairman Lowry Caudill said the board selected this time period in order to give the other resolutions time to root. It is possible, though, that the board hopes student activism around this issue will erode.

Sixteen years is enough time for students to forget that with enough agitation, concrete change is possible. If activists can remove deep engravings from a building, then they can agitate until another board reverses the decision.

Thursday brought developments that should be celebrated, but credit should not go to the Board of Trustees. This was an accomplishment for students and faculty who were not afraid to start uncomfortable conversations.

The 16-year freeze, unanimously approved, is a cowardly move that signals a distinct fear of the power students, faculty and community members have when they’re united.