The University of Alabama at Birmingham is removing the name of former pro-segregation Gov. George Wallace from a campus building — saying he remains a symbol of racial injustice.
In a resolution passed unanimously Friday by university trustees, the building that bore the controversial four-term governor’s name since 1975 will now be simply known as The Physical Education Building, according to reports.
“This is simply the right thing to do,” university Trustee Judge John England said in a statement, WVTM-TV reported Monday.
“The UA System, the Board of Trustees, our working group and our campuses recognize Governor Wallace’s complex legacy, including the well-known acceptance of his apology by civil rights icon John Lewis,” England said.
“That said, his stated regret late in life did not erase the effects of the divisiveness that continue to haunt the conscience and reputation of our state,” the statement said.
Wallace, a one-time presidential candicate who died in 1998, was a staunch opponent of racial integragation and vowed “segregation forever” in 1963.
To many Wallace became the face of the opposition to integrating Alabama schools.
“In the name of the greatest people that ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” he said in the speech.
But during his 1972 presidential run, Wallace was paralyzed in an assassination attempt — emerging later to publicly denounce racism and his racist past from a wheelchair.
The ideological turnaround earned him an apology from Lewis — who was badly beaten by state troopers in Selma while marching for voting rights for blacks.
However, the UA resolution notes that Wallace’s name “remains an enduring symbol of racial injustice and rekindles memories of one of the State of Alabama’s darkest hours.”
Wallace’s own daughter expressed support for the trustees’ decision.
“I, along with my husband Mark, have confidence in the board’s decision to rename the UAB Physical Education Building,” Peggy Wallace Kennedy said. “It is important to the university to always seek positive and meaningful change for the betterment of students, faculty, and the community.”
With Post wires