Black college strips building of segregationist’s name

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University trustees have voted to strip the name of a former governor who was a segregationist from the school’s main administrative building.

The News & Observer reports Wednesday’s vote trades Gov. Clyde Hoey’s name for that of the historically black university’s founder, James E. Shepard. A statue of Shepard already stands outside the building.

Hoey was a Democrat who was governor from 1937 to 1941. He also served as a U.S. congressman and U.S. senator. During his tenure, black colleges received state funding to offer graduate courses, but Hoey reportedly supported a segregated education system.

Chancellor Johnson Akinleye said a student government request prompted evaluation of the name. NCCU senior Ajamu Dillahunt, who led a petition advocating for a change, called the decision “a bottom-up, student-led victory.”

___

Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com