JMU is renaming halls that bear names of Confederate leaders
Samantha Smith, Digital Content Manager
Credit: Heather Butterworth
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Virginia's James Madison University is renaming three buildings that bear the names of Confederate leaders.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that university's board of visitors voted to change the names of three halls following requests by students, alumni and campus organizations.
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The school in Harrisonburg has removed signs for the buildings on the quad and assigned temporary names. The history of the buildings and their names will be displayed inside and online.
One of the buildings is named for Confederate Gen. Turner Ashby. He was killed less than 2 miles from the university's campus.
Jackson Hall is named for Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson. And Maury Hall is named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, a scientist and Confederate naval officer.
The school is not considering changing its name. James Madison was the slave-owning fourth U.S. president and chief architect of the U.S. Constitution.
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