After reading descriptions by Black cadets of what they endure, Virginia Gov. The board’s chairman, John “Bill” Boland, suggested it might be transferred to New Market, the Civil War battlefield where VMI cadets fought and died for the slaveholding South. This year, Black alumni launched a campaign to remove the Jackson statue led by Kaleb Tucker, who was a starting cornerback on VMI’s football team before graduating in May. Tucker created a Change.org petition, asking the school “to acknowledge the racism and black prejudice that still occurs at VMI” and “to tear down” the Jackson statue. On Wednesday night, Peay’s tenure was celebrated by VMI’s cadets.

Source: Washington Post October 29, 2020 17:15 UTC