CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The faculty at a New Hampshire law school bearing the name of the state’s only president, Franklin Pierce, have voted to support removing him from its title, weeks after students raised concerns about Pierce’s ties to slavery.
Pierce, the country’s 14th president, served from 1853 to 1857. He never owned slaves and expressed moral opposition to slavery, but he was concerned with keeping the nation unified and opposed steps to stop slavery.
Faculty members at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law released a statement Monday saying Pierce’s reputation as a pro-slavery Northerner was counter to the school’s commitment to racial justice, New Hampshire Public Radio reported.
“While he may have been a product of his time, he is not a historical figure worthy of the honor of having New Hampshire’s only law school, part of the state’s flagship public university, named after him,” the statement read.
Of the 25 full-time faculty, 12 supported the resolution, six voted against it, one abstained, and six didn’t vote.
“This is a great example where we see reasonable, well-intentioned reasonable people with very different opinions on the matter,” Dean Megan Carpenter said.
The final decision for changing the law school’s name rests with the university system’s board of trustees. The school had targeted Aug. 1. The name change is just one of many issues being considered by a task force that is expected to make recommendations on addressing racism, diversity and inclusion at the law school.
The move came as protesters nationwide have are calling for a reckoning with racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
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