Last graduating class to receive diplomas from John Tyler say they are glad for the name change

CHESTER2022 will be the last class graduating from John Tyler where they will receive diplomas from that name.

Come July, the community college will be called Brightpoint.

In 2020, Virginia Community College Board asked all 23 community colleges to consider changing building, street and even campus names honoring Confederate leaders and anyone who promoted racial segregation in Virginia.

John Tyler, the state's 10th president who was known as the "accidental president", was the first to Vice President to succeed in the nation's history after president William Henry Harrison died after a month into his presidency. He served from 1841 to 1845.

Tyler was a slaveowner of some 110 African Americans and had two plantations in Charles City County, Virginia. When the Civil War took place, he sided with the South and was elected to become a member the Confederate House of Representatives, but died before he started. He was also one of the most unpopular presidents in the nation's history.

With John Tyler turning a page on its name, some 2022 graduates say that they are glad that the college is moving forward.

"I think its good that the college recognized that it should rename itself that's more indicative of the student population rather than after somebody," said Elizabeth Dooley, 38, a liberal arts graduate. "I kind of like that it's not named after anybody in particular. It's really just to show the greatness of the future." Dooley will be in VCU in the fall, pursuing a degree in environmental anthropology to find ways to be make the earth more sustainable.

"John Tyler wasn't the greatest person, so maybe we shouldn't be moralizing him," said Kat Hawthorne, 25, who will be pursuing history at University of Virginia in the fall.

"Honestly, I don't really care, said Ayesha Johnson, 22, a Black woman who is graduating in secondary teaching education. "It's just a name. As it pertains to my culture, it doesn't really bother me."

"It is going to be very different and going towards the future," said Abby Guidry, 20, a liberal arts graduate who is looking to pursue history.

John Tyler opened its doors in 1967; naming the school was one of the first decisions the College Board of Trustees made when forming it.

Joyce Chu is the Social Justice Watchdog Reporter for The Progress Index. Contact her at Jchu1@gannett.com or on Twitter @joyce_speaks.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Last graduating class to receive diplomas from John Tyler are glad for the name change