UNC’s own history has attracted tremendous attention in the past few years — especially its racial history. The campus was built partly by enslaved people and many of our older buildings are named after slaveholders; just because this is true of other Southern institutions doesn’t make it right.
The University insists it is working hard to contextualize our campus history, and we support this effort. We commend the professors on campus who study the histories of the American South and slavery in the Atlantic world — but we were alarmed to realize that no professor in the history department focuses specifically on slavery in the American South.
Though the plaques and other symbols on UNC’s campus may be more visible than the professors on the upper floors of Hamilton Hall, the history department is the University’s best chance to represent its historical priorities to the academic world.
The department still attracts plenty of majors, including several members of this board. A full understanding of the racial history of the United States is key to understanding where we are today. Courses on slavery in the U.S. — and especially, given that we are a state school in a state that seceded in the Civil War, in the South — should be regularly available.
UNC should commit resources to helping at least one faculty member devote his or her energy to teaching and researching this topic.
If we’re serious about understanding our own history, show it through hiring.
