RALEIGH, N.C. — Meredith College announced a change Wednesday to the name of one of its buildings as part of its “Anti-Racism Initiative.”
What You Need To Know
Meredith College changed the name of Joyner Hall to Lux Hall
The building was named after James Yadkin Joyner, an advocate for white supremacy
The college’s president says this is just one step toward the school’s “Anti-Racism Initiative”
Some students agree with the change but believe the school needs to do more
Joyner Hall was named after James Yadkin Joyner. He was an educator and also an advocate for white supremacy as well as the unequal funding for schools based on race.
“I've been coming here for classes for three years now, and I had no idea who it was named after and who I was referring to all this time,” said Gisselle Quijada, a junior at Meredith College.
Joyner Hall was built on Meredith College’s campus in 1956. Until recently, some students never thought twice about the name.
“At first I was just intrigued because I didn't really know the history behind it. Reading the email, I found out the person was a white supremacist and had racist ideals,” Quijada said.
On Wednesday, the college announced it was changing the building’s name.
“We really feel emboldened by this step forward that it’s really a great message about our strength to be able to confront our history, to correct errors that we may be unintentionally perpetuating,” said Jo Allen, the president of Meredith College.
While some students support the change, they also say there have been instances where not everyone is treated equally on campus and that should be prioritized.
“I have felt safe specifically because it is a small college, but there are things ethically that revolve especially with classrooms and professors and advisers. There has been a limit where there's a meeting of frustration, because some students are silenced more than others, this could be financially, this could be educationally,” said Itzel Zuniga, a junior at Meredith College.
“Yeah they started off with this, but I really feel like there's more things they have to be doing to show students they actually care. They will be providing that, at most, promising education that they stand for,” Zuniga said. “It may be seen as an accomplishment for them by renaming the building, but I think there's more to it.”
Zuniga also pointed out that the founder of Meredith College, Thomas Meredith, was a slaveowner. Zuniga believes the college has more to acknowledge than just this one building.
“Yes it is just one step, but the real focus is what are we doing now,” Allen said. “And how do we move forward making sure everyone feels welcome here?”
Joyner Hall is now being called Lux Hall because “lux” is the Latin word for light and is the school’s motto. Lux Hall could be the new permanent name, but that’s something the college’s board of trustees will decide on very soon.
There are also buildings named for James Yadkin Joyner on UNC and ECU campuses, but there have not been any announcements about plans to change those building names.