University of Virginia students have issued a list of demands regarding a statue of Thomas Jefferson on campus because his visage allegedly serves as “an emblem of white supremacy.”
President Trump asked reporters on Aug. 15 if violence in Charlottesville over historical monuments would inspire campaigns against the nation’s third present. A coalition of minority student groups answered his call less than one week later with a list of demands for administrators.
The Minority Rights Coalition hosted a “March to Reclaim Our Grounds” on Aug. 21, at which point they revealed a ten-point ultimatum obtained by Campus Reform on Wednesday.
“The statue of Jefferson serves as an emblem of white supremacy, and should be re-contextualized with a plaque to include that history,” the students wrote.
The students also called for mandatory “education on white supremacy, colonization, and slavery as they directly relate to Thomas Jefferson, the University, and the city of Charlottesville,” the education watchdog reported.
Sixteen minority groups signed the “March to Reclaim Our Grounds” petition prior to its unveiling. Their effort comes in the wake of Aug. 12 protests by white supremacist groups over the removal of a Confederate statue depicting General Robert E. Lee.
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“I wonder is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” Mr. Trump asked reporters Aug. 15.
The Charlottesville protests sparked a nation-wide debate after James Alex Fields Jr., 20, plowed his vehicle into a crowd of people. The suspect was arrested after injuring 19 people and killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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