“...apologize for participating in chattel slavery...”
Oh that old-fashioned slavery was bad with people owning people but the good new slavery of governments owning people is A-OK as long as we slaves get some sort of free dental-health plan.
I confess, I don’t know the whole story about the college, but I do know that after the war, Robert E. Lee had virtually nothing. His Virginia home was confiscated by the Union and made into Arlington Cemetary.
Then our of the blue he’s asked to be president of Washington College.
“The solitude did not last long (for Lee). The trustees of Washington College in Lexington, then looking for a new president, decided that Lee was the perfect choice. He had been superintendent of West Point earlier in his military career, and more importantly, he had a very recognizable name in 1865. The college, mired in financial difficulties, needed a prominent person to help raise funds. At first Lee hesitated, but on the advice of friends and family he eventually accepted the position. He wrote to the trustees that he believed, “it is the duty of every citizen, in the present condition of the Country, to do all in his power to aid in the restoration of peace and harmony.”
I would think if I am attending or have attended Washington and Lee college, I would be very very very proud of its heritage. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what kind of backlash occurs here.