University at Buffalo Removing President Millard Fillmore’s Name From Campus
“UB understands Fillmore’s complex role in the history of slavery in the United States, which includes the Fugitive Slave Act”
How many students at this school could even speak at length about Millard Fillmore’s presidency? I’m guessing not many.
The College Fix reports:
University at Buffalo to remove U.S. President Millard Fillmore’s name from campus
The University at Buffalo will be removing former U.S. President Millard Fillmore’s name from campus, citing “systemic racism” and his support of the Compromise of 1850.
Fillmore was the 13th president of the United States as well as founder and first chancellor of the University at Buffalo.
The Millard Fillmore Academic Center, which contains several academic departments, student dormitories, a theater, and other services, will now be referred to as simply the Academic Center. It will be renamed at a later date, according to UB’s Campus Planning Committee.
“#UBuffalo will remove the names Millard Fillmore, James O. Putnam and Peter B. Porter from four locations at UB, a decision that aligns with the university’s commitment to fight systemic racism and create a welcoming environment for all,” the university announced Monday.
The decision came in the wake of violent protests and rioting that have ravaged several major cities across the nation as University at Buffalo joins several other universities that are attempting to isolate themselves from prominent historical figures with “controversial” pasts.
Fillmore served as comptroller of New York, a member of the United States House of Representatives, vice president of the United States, and then as the 13th President of the United States as a member of the Whig Party.
Before ascending to the most powerful position in the country, Fillmore played an instrumental role in the founding of the University at Buffalo in 1846, and eventually served as its first chancellor until his death in 1874.
According to the University at Buffalo’s News Center, “UB understands Fillmore’s complex role in the history of slavery in the United States, which includes the Fugitive Slave Act, which Fillmore signed as part of the Compromise of 1850.”
#UBuffalo will remove the names Millard Fillmore, James O. Putnam and Peter B. Porter from four locations at UB, a decision that aligns with the university’s commitment to fight systemic racism and create a welcoming environment for all. ➡️ https://t.co/6ZbbzB7G3d pic.twitter.com/fxPH2SWCp0
— UBuffalo (@UBuffalo) August 3, 2020
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Comments
“How many students at this school could even speak at length about Millard Fillmore’s presidency? I’m guessing not many.”
I will dumb down your question and raise the stakes: “How many students at this school even know there was a President named Millard Fillmore and can name the decade in which he served?”
“Millard Fillmore is a character in a cartoon strip about a conservative duck.”
Oh, wait…
Gee, the poor guy was attempting to keep the Union together and gets erased from UB history.
here is a novel thought, how about suny buffalo teach some history, with all its nuances, twists and compromises, instead of trying to erase it? silly me, i labor under the illusion that academia exists to open minds, not close them.
So what to do now about the NYS Park in Cayuga County?
Implication of any change to erase it’s name would run into the millions if one considers the number of places of reference which have to carry any new naming. And the legacy to this small area of the world also be taken away.