BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech is renaming two of its dorms that honored men who espoused white supremacist views.
The buildings built in the 1960s will now instead be named for Black people who fought for the right to be on Tech’s campus, according to The Roanoke Times.
“The previous names on these two residence halls — the temporary homes of many of our students of color in recent years — were inconsistent with the rich heritage and increasingly diverse community that is Virginia Tech,” President Tim Sands said in a statement.
Lee Hall will be renamed Hoge Hall in honor of William and Janie Hoge, who hosted Black students in their home in the 1950s, a time when the university denied campus housing to Black students.
Barringer Hall will be renamed to honor Leslie Whitehurst Jr., a 1963 graduate who became the first Black student allowed to live on campus in 1961 and who in 1970 became the first Black member of Tech’s board of visitors.
Members of the executive committee of the school’s board voted Thursday voted for the name changes. The full board is expected to approve the new names later this month, the newspaper reported.
