草榴社区

Reconsider cancel-culture target at 草榴社区

Consider two names associated with one of our state鈥檚 public universities, one a slave owner and the other an abolitionist. Which do you think might be canceled? You got it, the abolitionist.

As Western Washington University  the names of its building and programs, it鈥檚 not George Washington, the slave owner, being reviewed. It鈥檚 the abolitionist Thomas Henry Huxley. Known as 鈥淒arwin鈥檚 Bulldog鈥 for his public defense of the theory of evolution, Huxley was also an early humanist (he invented the word 鈥渁gnostic鈥) and social reformer. 草榴社区鈥檚 Huxley College of the Environment was named after him when it was founded in 1970 as the world鈥檚 first interdisciplinary environmental college.

Universities around the country are conducting such reviews. Princeton recently removed Woodrow Wilson鈥檚 name from its School of Public and International Affairs, citing his segregationist policies. Clemson and Yale both changed the name of colleges previously named after vice-president John C. Calhoun, a slave owner and white supremacist best known for his 鈥減ositive good鈥 theory of slavery.

Is it now time for T.H. Huxley鈥檚 name to go, too?