Timaka L Brown
TLB2665
“Written to Stone” : Good Job President Fenves
I think that the decision to remove the statues shouldn’t have taken this long. For years, students of color, and in particular, Black students at the university have voiced their opinions on the matter. They have let the administration know that the presence of these statues is completely unacceptable, especially in a political climate of racism and prejudice. I respect President Fenves for taking that bold and courageous step and proceeded with the removal of the confederate monuments. This shows that Fenves has a bold and moral leadership. I agree with the removal. I feel relieved and kind of proud of the university for taking this action to remove the statues. Those statues were not educational. They were celebratory. And what they celebrated was indefensible — treason and oppression. For many people of color here on campus, this was a constant reminder that UT was not a space designed for them. The fight against white supremacy on the UT campus has been constant struggle for the entirety of my college career and is more important now than before as I reach my fourth and final year of my undergraduate career.
Though I know the university has many ways to go, I feel the removal of these monuments was a huge step.
"We do not choose our history," Fenves said in a prepared statement after the statue removals, "but we choose what we honor and celebrate on our campus." They chose stagnation and reinforcement of their constituents' prejudices and resistance to change. Fenves chose to challenge those prejudices and to advance the futu...
