Trustees vote to remove actress’ name from school theatre

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – A university in Ohio will remove from a campus theatre the last name of an actress who starred in “The Birth of a Nation,” considered one of the most racist movies ever made.

The Blade reports Bowling Green State University trustees’ 7-0 vote Friday to drop the last name of actresses Dorothy and Lillian Gish comes after the school’s Black Student Union raised concerns when the little-used theatre was relocated to the student union.

Lillian Gish starred in the 1915 silent film, which served as a tribute to the Ku Klux Klan and helped revive the white supremacist group.

A university task force issued a report last month saying the Gish name and displays about “The Birth of a Nation” contributed to an “intimidating, even hostile, educational environment.”