Why Changing Building Names and Covering Murals Is Not Enough
December 10, 2015
The University of Kentucky at Lexington (the flagship college), has shrouded an indoor mural that features paintings of enslaved African Americans bending to pick tobacco (or possibly cotton) while a train full of White folks seems to appear on their backs. There are other offensive images in the painting, but in many ways the painting reflects a Kentucky reality. Yes, there was oppression. The artist captured a reality that others might not find popular. University President Eli Capilouto agreed to cover the mural so that the campus has an opportunity to discuss it. While students object to the