Students and school administration at the University of the West Indies (UWI) are no longer tolerating racism. They are not standing idly by and allowing discrimination to be embedded in the culture of their institution. The school authorities boldly took the pivotal steps in changing the name of a residence hall at its St. Augustine campus.
The Milner Hall of Residence, named after Lord Alfred Milner has been rechristened to Freedom Hall. Milner, who was a British Colonial Governor in South Africa was found to be a racist with a ‘British race supremacy’ ideology as reported by Caribbean360. The basis for this revelation was found by a study conducted by Pro Vice-Chancellor Alan Cobley, Professor of South African History.
The process to examine the name of the residence hall began in October 2017 with the consultations of prominent stakeholders of UWI St. Augustine Campus and residents of the now Freedom Hall.
There was also a request for input from current students, alumni, and staff.
The final decision was made on the recommendation of the residents of the newly named Freedom Hall.
Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland stated his elation with the decision by stating “I am pleased that due process was followed with transparency and that consultation was prioritised. The result is a new name and our new focus will be on helping our students, particularly the residents of Freedom Hall to adjust to the change.”
