by Breanna Adamick

The tumultuous year of 2020 sparked important conversations everywhere about a number of topics, but none quite like the discussions on the Black Lives Matter movement and racial equity as a whole. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020, captured for all to view online, was one of several killings that was a catalyst for some sort of action.

The impact of these traumatic events was seen nationwide and particularly across college campuses. Statues were torn down and buildings were renamed as the racist ideals and history of many significant figures were brought to light. During that time, Greensboro College did not remain unaffected. Discussions took place with students voicing their need for support and better inclusion of minorities on campus, while administration formulated a list of 11 action items for the college to pursue.

One of these items was to start programming for the recently created Sankofa Center—which, four years later, we can see has been a success; and the other was to research GC’s historical ties to slavery and the racial justice movement. Now, in 2024, the latter item could likely see a notable change take place as “Lea Center” in Main Building has been undergoing heavy scrutiny for its name.

Currently, the lobby of Main Building is named for Reverend Solomon Lea, a local minister of Leasburg, North Carolina, and GC’s first president from February 1846 to December of 1847. From research conducted in 2020 by Dr. Mike Sistrom, then chair of the Department of History, Elena Henry, Director of Advancement Services and the Brock Historical Museum and alumnus history major Paul Freeman, it was found that Lea was one of four GC presidents to own an enslaved person. The first four presidents, comprising Rev. Solomon Lea, Dr. Albert Shipp, Dr. Charles Deems and Dr. Turner Jones, were discovered to have owned five enslaved people between them.

Since this history has been uncovered, GC administration has been actively working to improve the environment and resources of the campus for all students. Beyond the action list formed in 2020, the President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence was created in January of 2023 by Dr. Lawrence Czarda. This commission involves examining the mission and values, as well as everything from food in the dining hall, theatre productions to the curriculum and infrastructure to ensure the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion are being embedded into the campus culture. This commission consists of faculty and staff currently, but it is their hope to be able to select two or three students to join in the future, in an effort to promote the voice of students.

Chair of the President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Juliet Lowery, has been promoting and increasing inclusivity since her arrival at GC in July of 2022, a significant part of which has been working with the Sankofa Center.

“[The Sankofa Center] is not just for one student, it is for all students,” Lowery stated. “If we are going to grow in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion then we have to educate. A lot of the discourse we have is because people do not understand one another, and part of that is because that communication is not there.” While Lowery expressed that this will always be something of a continuing goal, she remarked that she believes GC is moving in the right direction with investigating and educating, as well as working to do what is right for the institution and its constituents. Regarding a potential name change to Lea Center, Lowery spoke in favor of renaming it, but further added, “We want to do things in the right way and make sure that people are informed, whatever the decision may end up being.”

Matthew Johnson, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications and Chair of the subcommittee, expressed his support of a name change: “I am in favor of renaming and I do not see it as erasing history. We are not ripping Solomon Lea’s portrait down, we are not erasing him from the history books we have—he is still the first president of the college’s history—but usually we name spaces to honor someone, and he is someone who, as a slave owner, should not have been honored in that way.”

As part of the President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence, Johnson shared that right now they are merely exploring the removal of Lea’s name from the space in Main Building, not a whole name change. While a replacement name may some day be selected, there are no serious discussions of options yet. Despite some details remaining undecided, the conversation was opened up to the rest of the GC community.

On Tuesday, March 19, an open forum discussion was held in Lea Center pertaining to Solomon Lea, the Lea Center itself and general history about Greensboro College. A panel of faculty, staff and students consisting of Dr. Paul Leslie, retired GC sociology professor and former Vice President of Academic Affairs, Elena Henry, Director of Advancement Services, Anne Hurd, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Dr. Victor Archibong, professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Legal Administration, students Liya Veale and Grace Dobson all shared thoughts and findings during the discussion.

Junior student Liya Veale, in conjunction with many opinions from her fellow panelists, expressed her belief that Lea Center should receive a new name: “Solomon Lea is not someone who the current student body, staff and faculty want to honor, nor are Lea’s values—ownership of other human beings as slaves and only fighting for the education of white women—in alignment with the values that Greensboro College actively focuses on modeling: thinking critically, acting justly and living faithfully.”

In opening remarks, Dr. Leslie delivered an eloquent and thought-provoking speech on GC’s moral responsibility to act on this issue. Creating an impactful moment with his words, Dr. Leslie declared, “If nothing comes of this panel discussion today, then this event amounts to nice words and we as an institution deserve to open ourselves up to criticisms of just going through the motions to check a box and conducting a sham procedure for the sake of continuing avoidance of ethical action due to a flaccid spine. Let us act on this issue after we discuss it. It is time.”

With the awareness of the meaning behind the name of Lea Center in all of our minds now, it seems doubly important that, at the very least, the name be removed. Greensboro College continues to strive for a more diversely welcoming and supportive environment, and that includes ensuring that in all spaces students feel safe and accepted. As Dr. Leslie further stated, “Let us not be afraid to change a story so that Greensboro College may express a wholesome pride in making a commitment to a moral perspective that honors justice, accountability, equity and the inclusion of all people.”

Greensboro College boasts “you belong here,” but in its incredibly long history, not everyone who steps onto this campus has always been able to feel that. We have finally had this important conversation and now it is time to step up and enact the changes necessary to ensure that all students, faculty and staff on GC’s campus can feel seen, heard and represented.