News about William Lloyd Garrison

At West Point, black troops view the KKK plaque, which says it's okay to keep up

www.dailymail.co.uk, September 1, 2022
The engraving at the prestigious military academy, which is located in Upstate New York, 50 miles north of New York City, is part of a massive mural depicting various aspects of US history on one of the country's oldest campus buildings. The sprawling display, which was carved into three bronze plaques that adorned the structure's entrance, features a variety of images associated with Americana, including photographs of Civil War-era plantations and the Founding Fathers. The installation, which was more than a half-century old, was one of hundreds of structures flagged in a report issued by the Congressional Naming Commission on Monday, which was a task force established by Congress last year to send suggestions to the Department of Defense (DOD) on renaming US military installations associated with the rebel army. The paper was primarily devoted to Confederate markers at both West Point and the US Naval Academy in Maryland, and officials quoted over a dozen buildings between both bases, most of which depict Confederate figures such as Robert E. Lee. However, the commission has decided that it would not request the removal of the KKK decoration, which decorates the entrance of the Bartlett Hall Science Center, just months after the Civil War, and therefore falls outside of its jurisdiction. Rather, the commission has simply recommended that it be taken down. The sentiment has since sparked outrage around the world, with Americans pointing out the absurdity of a group that can freely nix names connected to their nation's history but not have the authority to remove an explicitly racist artifact. Despite being built in 1937, DailyMail.com shows the other aspects of the plaque, which also includes non-racist photos of important abolitionists and historical female figures, such as Clara Barton and Susan B. Anthony.