VIDEO: Young Americans support removing statues, renaming buildings....even for Founding Fathers and recent Dem politicians
Campus Reform also asked students if these standards should apply to modern political figures with negative histories of their own, including Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
As the movement to remove statues and rename buildings named after historical figures grows across the country, Campus Reform asked young Americans for their opinions on the matter.
Most students supported removing Confederate monuments, and some went even further, saying the movement should apply to the Founding Fathers.
As the movement to remove statues and rename buildings named after historical figures continues to grow across the country, Campus Reform Digital Reporter Eduardo Neret asked young Americans and students for their thoughts on the matter.
Questions first focused on confederate monuments, which most individuals agreed should be taken down.
“I don’t know why they have them to begin with,” one individual said. “Like why would you support someone who has a racist past?”
“I feel like that’s a dark part of our past,” another added.
Neret then asked if there should be a limit on what is removed, or if statues of Founding Fathers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson should also be removed, since they were slaveholders.
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“I don’t think [removing Washington and Jefferson is] far enough to be honest,” one individual said.
“It’s not really for my opinion...it’s supporting the people who have been oppressed by this ideology and what their voices say. And if it’s part of their healing process, then I’m supportive of it,” another said.
Campus Reform then turned the attention to modern political figures. Without naming any specific politician, Neret questioned whether politicians who have a negative history with women or working with segregationists during the Civil Rights Movement should also have their statues removed and their names scrubbed from buildings.
Some initially agreed.
“For more modern figures, it’s more okay to clear them from our statues and our names,” one individual noted.
Neret then mentioned Bill Clinton and Joe Biden by name.
“I’m not too sure about that one,” the same person said, walking back their previous remarks.
Others were more consistent.
“If you’ve ever sexually assaulted anyone, then you have no right… [to] have your name anywhere.”
“I also think that Biden is also like a horrible person, in the sense that we’re talking about, you know, current politicians that--he has issues with sexual assault, working with segregationists, all those things,” another individual added. “Politicians like him that are currently still in power that have embodied those things throughout history and throughout their political career, they should be investigated more.”
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The University of Arkansas is home to the Clinton School of Public Service, named for former President Bill Clinton, who has been accused of sexual assault. The University of Delaware is home to the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, named for former Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Biden has also been accused of sexual assault and has been criticized for siding with segregationists in the 1970s to oppose the practice of busing, an effort to desegregate schools.
Follow the author of this article on Facebook: @eduneret and Twitter: @eduneret
