Rhodes College removes white supremacist's name from building in Tennessee

Micaela Watts
Updated
Palmer Hall at Rhodes College
Palmer Hall at Rhodes College

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rhodes College is removing the name of Benjamin Palmer from the campus' oldest building, according to a release from the university's board of trustees.

Effective immediately, Palmer Hall will now be known as Southwestern Hall.

According to numerous historical records, Palmer was devoted to the idea that the Bible justified slavery.

"Southwestern Hall honors and restores a name with a rich tradition and history. With these changes we elaborate, rather than replace, history," said a letter signed by Rhodes President Majorie Hass and Board of Trustees Chairman Cary Fowler.

The new name commemorates the institution's history: In 1925, the university moved from its original site in Clarksville, Tennessee, and then-President Charles Diehl shortened the university's name from Southwestern Presbyterian University to simply, Southwestern.

The name change comes after a three-year investigation into Palmer's history, educational events on campus and a review of comments submitted to the university, according to an announcement sent to the Rhodes community.

Rhodes' board of trustees has elected to strike Benjamin Palmer's name from Palmer Hall, the oldest building on the campus. The building is now called Southwestern Hall, after the university's former name.
Rhodes' board of trustees has elected to strike Benjamin Palmer's name from Palmer Hall, the oldest building on the campus. The building is now called Southwestern Hall, after the university's former name.

A special committee, The Palmer Hall Discernment Committee, was commissioned for the process and made the final recommendation to the board.

The committee said that Palmer's legacy was found to be "fundamentally at odds with our college vision," the release stated.

Rhodes students like Nick Walters, who penned an opinion piece about Palmer's legacy, have been advocating for the name change while the committee was forming its decision.

"We praise this man as a patriot when he advocated for the dissolution of the United States, an inherently unpatriotic act," Walters said. "We praise his Christian education that, in Palmer’s mind, included the Bible’s declaration of African inferiority to the white race."

"Rhodes College," Walters concluded, "claims to strive to create an inclusive environment for all, yet contradicts this by naming their oldest building after a man who stood for the exact opposite ideas."

The university is also commissioning a new plaque that will be placed in Southwestern Hall that adds historical context to Palmer's ties to the Rhodes and his pro-slavery legacy.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Rhodes College removes white supremacist's name from building in Tennessee