Texas Klan Dorm Controversy

Most Intriguing Person

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:36:12 -0600

CNN.com identified me, along with Nelson Mandela, Paul Allen, Mary Price Walls, and Angie Brouhard as the most intriguing persons for July 16, 2010.

Great company!

Mr. Mandela was South Africa’s president and has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr. Allen co-founded Microsoft. Ms. Brouhard is a cancer survivor and now, a triathlete.

Mary Price Walls is of special historical interest in the context of the my paper about Simkins dorm and the history of The University of Texas and its admissions policy. Ms. Walls was the first African-American applicant to Missouri State University in 1950. The University rejected her application. To make amends, Missouri State will award her an honorary degree on July 30.

I sometimes wonder how The University of Texas might make amends to African-American students excluded from the university because of their race--that is, if University administrators and regents wanted to do so. I show in my paper that UT instituted an admissions exam expecting that the exam would exclude 74 percent of the African-American applicants and only 10 percent of white applicants.

Assuming, for the sake of argument, that UT’s adoption of an entrance exam that excluded nearly 3/4’s of the African-American applicants was wrong, then how might that wrong be remedied? The life of Mary Price Walls offers the possibility of a thought experiment. Ms. Wells is blessed with 8 children, 12 grandchildren, and 14 grandchildren. We know that the educational attainment of children is related to the education attainment of their parents. Applied, this means that Ms. Wells’s children would have been more likely to attend college if she had. (Note that I have no information regarding the actual education of her children.) And so on through the generations.

What is the value of a grandparent’s college degree to the grandchildren?

Within the confines of this thought experiment, I think that historians like me might be able to identify African-American students not admitted to UT in the late 1950s and early 1960s because the university had shifted from open admissions to an exam that they knew would disproportionately exclude African Americans. Like Ms. Wells, those rejected applicants of color would likely have grandchildren who, half a century later, might be applying for admission to UT right now.

Not only do the children of excluded applicants face a statistical suppression The children of excluded applicants also never enjoy the advantage of being legacy admits to universities. If Daddy attended the university; that often helps the applicant get admitted. Same thing if Grandma was a student there.

Doubtless there are constitutional problems with trying to assist the grandchildren of excluded applicants--although the idea does strike this historian as a narrowly tailored remedy. And, of course, there are 163 political problems with trying do so.

Even so, I cannot help but hope that other universities follow the example of Missouri State University in order to make amends for past wrongs. Perhaps universities can also take responsibility for the harm done to the children and grandchildren of those wrongly denied the opportunity of education--a sort of Grandparent Test in reverse--and generate the educational legacy that ought to exist. Missouri State’s effort is a good first step.

For CNN.com’s story of intriguing persons, including me, see:
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/16/fridays-intriguing-people-19/

Charleston Post and Courier covers Renaming

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:51:26 -0600

Diane Knich, reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier, called me just after the Regents voted unanimously to rename Simkins Hall. She has covered the story previously. I also wrote an op-ed for the Post and Courier about Simkins.

She asked me about my expectations when I wrote the paper. And, as Simkins was a native of South Carolina, she touches upon the point that Simkins’s becoming a Klansman was a foregone conclusion.

She writes:

Russell, who is now a law professor at the University of Denver, said that when he wrote his paper, he expected it would run in an academic publication and that only a few people would read it.
But it got national attention, he said. He has even seen discussions about the issue on sports blogs, and he received a letter from a man serving a life sentence in prison.
As a historian, he's pleased that the paper sparked discussions about historical events. "Even though my paper instigated the conversation, it's not my conversation," he said.
A few things surprised him, he said, such as the racist nature of many anonymous comments on news websites and "a category of people who seem to feel threatened by taking this criminal's name off the dormitory."
Russell said that contrary to what some people have said to him, Simkins becoming a Klan organizer was "neither necessary or a foregone conclusion."
He noted three other cadets who were present at the firing on Star of the West. Two of the men died honorably during the war. The third, George Edward Haynsworth, returned to Sumter after the war and lived honorably as a lawyer and magistrate, Russell said.

Ms. Knich’s story includes comments by readers.

See: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/jul/16/by-any-other-name/

Texas Tribune: Better Late than Never

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:44:24 -0600

Just as the Simkins Dorm issue was coming to a close, the Texas Tribune covered the issue with a nice story by an Stanford intern, Elizabeth Titus.

The story appeared on the morning of the meeting when the Regents voted to rename the dorm. Consequently, the story got a bit lost. A nice aspect of the story is reference to other buildings on American campuses named for Klansman. My understanding is that the Tribune editors thought there were many such buildings. There really aren’t.

See: http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/university-of-texas-system/ut-weighs-change-for-dorm-named-for-kkk-leader/

Just after the story came out, the Regents voted. Ms. Titus covered that story as well.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/higher-education/ut-regents-remove-kkk-leaders-name-from-dorm/

Simkins Renamed

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:33:20 -0600

The UT Regents voted unanimously to rename Simkins Hall on Thursday, July 15. There are literally hundreds of news stories covering the renaming.

The Austin American-Statesman’s article covering the renaming is a good place to start.

See: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/ut-system-regents-vote-to-rename-simkins-hall-805569.html

Four Texas Papers Call for Renaming of Simkins

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:50:09 -0600

“Break with the past: Changing a dorm name marks a good step toward healing UT’s troubled racial history” is the title of the Houston Chronicle’s editorial just in advance of the UT Regents’ meeting where they will consider a name change for Simkins Hall.

The Chronicle writes:

Professor Russell, now at the University of Denver law school, praised President Powers for making "a good first step" in requesting a name change for the dorm and park to Creekside Dormitory and Creekside Park.

We agree. And while Powers is at it, he might give some thought to renaming the alumni publication that printed Simkins' racist screeds.

While I don’t agree that The Alcade needs renaming, I am a bit glad to see more attention focused on the Texas Exes role in obscuring Simkins’s criminality by promoting his eccentricity.

Previously, The Daily Texan editorialized in favor of a name change. On May 9, the students, who have been thoughtful leaders in the Texas Klan Dorm controversy, wrote: “There’s a difference between being honest about our history and honoring a notorious racist with a dormitory — and it seems entirely reasonable to dishonor such a dishonorable man.” Daily Texan Editorial Board, “Horns up: Former professor urges UT to rename Simkins Hall,” Daily Texan (May 9, 2010)

Following the lead of the The Daily Texan, the Austin American-Statesman editorialized that: “A case can be made that there is a difference between Simkins — who seemed proud of his post-Civil War criminal behavior — and people like Davis and Lee who, misguided though they were, are historical figures who played large roles in a key part of U.S. history. Davis and Lee offer teachable monuments. Simkins offers nothing.” Editorial, “A stain that must be scrubbed from campus,” Austin American-Statesman (May 22, 2010)

Also in May, the San Antonio Express called for the renaming: “Whatever else Simkins might have done or believed in his life, his unrepentant views on race render him unfit to be honored on the campus of a public university in Texas. His name on a residence hall is an affront to everyone, but especially to the more than 2,000 African American students at the University of Texas for whom the racism Simkins abetted is more than just a history lesson.” Editorial, “Renaming dorm a necessary move,” San Antonio Express-News (May 26, 2010)

I believe that tomorrow, the Regents will adopt President Powers’s recommendation that the Simkins name be removed from the dormitory.

These four editorials by Texas newspapers are evidence of a point that I made in my Huffington Post op-ed. Writing off Texas because of UT’s Simkins Hall issue is a mistake. Texas, like all the other states, has a complicated history with regard to race. But, consistent with my own romanticized expectations of Texas-Ranger style honor, I am pleased to see newspapers in Houston, San Antonio, and Austin urging the Regents to do the right thing.

Denver TV interviews me about Simkins

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:06:20 -0600

Associated Press

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:13:51 -0600

Jim Vertuno has written a 740-word story about the Simkins Hall controversy in advance of tomorrow’s vote by the regents regarding President Powers’s recommendation to rename it Creekside Dorm.

My favorite stories on this issue are, of course, the ones for which the reporters call me and interview me.

Mr. Vertuno writes:

The issue sparked in May after former Texas law professor Tom Russell published an online article detailing resistance by the university to integration in the 1950s and 1960s. Texas named the dorm after Simkins in 1954, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education decision ended legal segregation.

"I support 100 percent taking the name off," said Russell, who now teaches law at the University of Denver. "My goal in writing this paper was to help start a conversation about race and history and law. I will say in regard to that, I've succeeded beyond my wildest dreams."

The Google tells me that this story is appearing in 245 different places now. The story has already prompted email from the daughter of Professor Ernest Goldstein, a law professor at UT who helped students fight for the integration of the dormitories in the early 1960s--and who very nearly got fired by the Regents because of it.

Among other places, the story appears at Salon.com and at the Huffington Post.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g1fT-vlIIQ6xD71YjMP5Gv2ff9QAD9GV0TVG0

HuffPo

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:47:39 -0600

The Huffington Post asked me to contribute an op-ed on the lessons and impact of the controversy over Simkins Hall that my legal history paper has generated.

The simple answer is that I am flattered to pieces and delighted by the extent of the conversation that my little paper got started. In the op-ed, for example, I quote from a letter that a prisoner serving a life sentence wrote to me after he read about Simkins Hall in an article in a Wall Street Journal, which a prison guard had discarded.

There are more than 400 comments to the HuffPo story. Because I wrote the op-ed, I participated in the comments answering questions and having some arguments.

I will say that participating in the comments as I did with the HuffPo piece and as I have with other news stories always feels at least a little awkward to me. My training as a historian and my status as a university professor lead me to want to issue papers and statements from high on the mountaintop and then observe, without commenting, as the people below react to my work.

But that’s not how the world works anymore. And I am glad for the change.

I just read the draft of a University of Denver student’s excellent Master’s thesis on social media. The thesis has been helpful in organizing my thoughts about how the Simkins Klan Dormitory has unfolded. As well, the thesis spurred me to jump onto the HuffPo site and respond to comments. After all, it’s my piece to which people are reacting--not responding would have been rude. Equally important, I learn a lot from the commenters.

Some people have asked why I waited ten years to publish the piece. My answer is that I was waiting for the invention of Twitter.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-tom-russell/professors-paper-targets_b_643347.html

My wife likes this article (I do, too)

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:29:36 -0600

My wife likes the National Law Journal’s story titled “Law professor didn't expect his article to result in renaming of Texas law dormitory.”

Karen Sloan’s opening paragraph is:

It's a rare law review article that ignites intense public debate — a feat achieved by University of Denver Sturm College of Law professor Tom Russell's recent paper exploring the University of Texas' resistance to integration following the seminal Brown v. Board of Education ruling of 1954.

The closing paragraph is:

An accessible writing style and topics that are important to the public are key ingredients to getting one's research read outside of academia, Russell said. "You kind of have to be willing to stir the pot."

A former student of mine from The University of Texas commented on FaceBook that:

Is there a more representative Tom Russell quote than, "You have to be willing to stir the pot."? Methinks not.

During the interview with Ms. Sloan, I referred to Yale Law Professor Fred Rodell’s 1936 essay titled “Goodbye to Law Reviews.” Professor Rodell’s opening sentences were:

There are two things wrong with almost all legal writing. One is its style. The other is its content. That, I think, about covers the ground.

Inside Higher Education on Simkins and others

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:14:01 -0600

Inside Higher Education has a nice story titled “Removing an Honor” on Simkins Hall and other buildings named after Klansman at other American universities. (There are only a few about which I know). The story ran on July 12.

The first paragraph comments on how long this controversy has lasted:

Thomas D. Russell, a professor of law at the University of Denver, said that his friends have varying reactions to the impact of a scholarly paper he published in March. His friends in public relations can't believe it took so long for the subject of the paper to respond to an image disaster. His historian friends, however, are amazed by the speed with which history research is having as concrete a result -- especially since this involves a decision in higher education, where change comes slowly.
See: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/12/klan
The story is also running in USA Today and in the U.K. in the Times Higher Education blog as (of course) “Removing an honour.”