The History, Race and a Way Forward Commission voted unanimously to start the renaming process of Graham Residence Hall at its meeting Thursday.
The commission discussed the Barbee Family Cemetery project, how to best acknowledge the role of Indigenous people within University history and the renaming process of Graham Residence Hall.
What’s new?
- Members of the commission discussed updates on the Barbee Cemetery Project, which seeks to work with community members and campus partners to research the history of the people the Barbee family enslaved.
- Christopher and William Barbee Family Cemetery was in use from 1790 until 1915 for burials, predominantly enslaved people of the Morgan, Barbee and Hargrave families and their descendants.
- Known as the Meadowmont estate, the cemetery is one part of a 27-acre tract. The property was gifted to UNC in 1988.
- Jim Leloudis, a chairperson of the commission and history professor, said Assistant Dean of Students Dawna Jones and associate professor of American studies Seth Kotch volunteered to be the new project leads.
- “They have already begun a range of consultations with stakeholders in the community and across the campus,” Leloudis said. “They will also be looking out to identify best practices from the University’s study of slavery consortium.”
- Jones then discussed the necessary steps for developing the project.
- “We need to have deliverables at every part of the process so that we can seize this moment in history as we continue to build upon the legacy of our ancestors,” Jones said.
- Christopher and William Barbee Family Cemetery was in use from 1790 until 1915 for burials, predominantly enslaved people of the Morgan, Barbee and Hargrave families and their descendants.
- Members also spoke about the Chancellor’s request for exploration on how the University should properly recognize the role Indigenous people have played in the University’s history.
- Patricia Parker, a chairperson of the commission and communications professor, said Land Acknowledgement guidelines should be developed through a broad process of consultation with Indigenous peoples and other relevant stakeholders.
- She said it is important for the language of the document to be clear, concise and specific to the Indigenous people involved.
- “It is so important to acknowledge the historical processes that got us where we are,” she said. “But acknowledgement is just one aspect of a reckoning process; there are many other steps beyond it.”
- The commission then discussed the renaming of Graham Residence Hall, named after John Washington Graham.
- Graham directed Confederate troops who participated in the massacre of about 500 Black soldiers during the Battle of Plymouth.
- The residence hall was originally named in 1928 by the Board of Trustees to honor Graham.
- The commission voted unanimously to approve the dossier and start the renaming process of Graham Residence Hall.
- This recommendation needs to be approved by the chancellor.
Who is on the commission?
- The commission is made up of students, faculty, staff and community members.
- There are three subcommittees: Archives, History, Research and Curation; Curriculum Development and Teaching; and Engagement, Ethics and Reckoning.
- It was formed in 2019 to explore, engage and teach the University’s history with race and provide recommendations to the chancellor as to how the University community must reckon with the past.
What’s next?
- The Archives, History, Research and Curation subcommittee will discuss the Morrison Residence Hall dossier and will consider how the list of names will be prioritized.
- The Engagement, Ethics and Reckoning subcommittee will continue its work on the Barbee Cemetery Project.
