Tulane U. Removes ‘Victory Bell’ From Campus After Learning it Was Used on a Plantation

Tulane U. Removes ‘Victory Bell’ From Campus After Learning it Was Used on a Plantation

All aspects of history which offend must be erased and forgotten.

CNN reports:

Tulane University removes its Victory Bell after learning it was originally used on a plantation

Tulane University has removed its Victory Bell after learning that it originally came from a plantation where Africans were enslaved.

University president Mike Fitts and board chairman Doug Hertz announced Thursday in a letter to the Tulane community that the campus landmark would be moved to storage as officials investigate its exact origins.

“As an academic institution, we believe it is important to find a way to use this bell to further our knowledge and understanding of slavery and pursue a more just society,” the letter reads.

Tulane’s decision comes as colleges and universities across the nation have been grappling with their ties to slavery and how to make amends, including by reconsidering monuments or landmarks on campus because of their histories.

Tulane only recently discovered through its historical archives that the bell was originally a plantation bell, used to direct the movement of enslaved Africans throughout their day, the officials said.

The bell was made in 1825 and came to Tulane between 1960 to 1961, according to their letter. It was donated to the university by former Louisiana Gov. Richard Leche, who was convicted of a defrauding scheme in 1940 and pardoned by President Harry Truman in 1953.

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