FROM
FROM OUR
FROM OUR EXCLUSIVE KING5 NEWS POLL ABOUT TWO QUESTIONS NATALIE LOOKS INTO IN RECENT
MONTHS ON THIS CAMPUS THERE ARE
STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN REAX
EXAMINING THE ROLE OF RACISM.
SO THINGS REALLY SHIFTED DURING
THE I MEAN I MEAN PRETTY NEDDLE
LIKE THE UPRISINGS OF DOORS FOR
BLACK STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT
MAHILET MESFIN SAYS HER
ORGANIZATION PUT IT
WRITING
WRITING PRESENTING A LIST OF SEVEN DEMANDS TO THE UNIVERSITY
OF WASHINGTON FOCUSING ON
DIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS, HIRING
MORE BLACK FACULTY AND THEN
OF COURSE REMOVING THE GEORGE
WASHINGTON STATUE.
TALK TO ME ABOUT THE STATUE.
SURE.
WHY DID YOU INCLUDE THAT ON THE
LIST?
SO WE INCLUDE IT ON THE LIST
BECAUSE WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION
ABOUT THE STATUE AND JUST DOING
IT FOR YEARS.
SHE'S TALKING ABOUT THIS THE
UNIVERSITY'S STATUE CELEBRATING
AMERICA'S FIRST PRESIDENT.
WELL, KNOWN FOR HIS CHARACTER
AND CONVICTION.
BUT THERE'S MORE TO GEORGE
WASHINGTON'S PAST.
HE WAS ALSO A SLAVE OWNER AND
THAT'S NOW FUELING TWO SEPARATE
PETITIONS THAT STARTED OVER THE
SUMMER, ONE ABOUT THE STATUE
AND ANOTHER SUGGESTING A NAME
CHANGE FOR THE STATE AT
WASHINGTON'S HOME OUTSIDE
OF D.C. HISTORIANS WEIGH IN.
I THINK IT'S UP TO INDIVIDUAL
COMMUNITIES TO MAKE THOSE
DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER TO
RETAIN WASHINGTON'S NAME OR
WASHIGNTON STATUE AND WE FEEL
THAT WASHIGNTON PLAYED AN
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN
THE FOUNDING OF THIS COUNTRY
AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS MADE THE
UNITED STATES WHAT IT IS TODAY
.
BUT JESSE MACLEOD, ASSOCIATE
CURATOR AT GEORGE WASHINGTON'S
MOUNT VERNON, SAYS IT IS
CRITICAL TO UNDERSTAND
WASHINGTON'S ROLE AS A SLAVE
ONE THAT OFFICIALLY STARTED AT
AGE 11 WHEN HE INHERITED 10
SLAVES LATER IN LIFE WHEN HE
MARRIED WEALTHY WIDOW MARTHA
CUSTIS, HE GAINED DOZENS MORE
AND BY THE TIME OF HIS DEATH
THERE WERE 317 SLAVES AT THE
MOUNTVERNON ESTATE.
TODAY THERE'S THIS DISPLAY SO
WE'RE STANDING IN THE WOMEN'S
BUNKROOM OF THE GREEN HOUSE
SLAVE QUARTERS.
IT'S THE STORIES OF ENSLAVED
MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN THAT
WENT UNTOLD FOR MANY YEARS.
FOR A LONG TIME PEOPLE DIDN'T
REALLY WANT TO ADDRESS IT
BECAUSE IT MADE THEM
UNCOMFORTABLE.
THEY FEARED THAT IT MADE THE
FOUNDERS PEOPLE LIKE GEORGE
WASHINGTON LOOK BAD.
AND I THINK NOW WE REALIZE THAT
THIS IS PART OF OUR HISTORY.
THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT
TOPIC TO COVER .
HISTORY SHOWS WASHINGTON WAS
AMBIVALENT ABOUT SLAVERY BUT
AVOIDED THE ISSUE PUBLICLY
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS HE WENT TO
GREAT LENGTHS TO KEEP HIS
SLAVES FROM BEING FREED AFTER
HE BECAME PRESIDENT AND MOVED
HIS HOUSEHOLD TO PHILADELPHIA.
HE SECRETLY ROTATED SLAVES OUT
OF STATE EVERY SIX MONTHS TO
AVOID A PENNSYLVANIA LAW THAT
WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THEM TO GAIN
FREEDOM.
HE SIGNED THE FUGITIVE SLAVE
ACT OF 1793 THAT ALLOWED FOR
THE SEIZURE AND RETURN RUNAWAY
SLAVES A FEW YEARS LATER,
MARTHA WASHINGTON'S PERSONAL
MAID ON A JUDGE RAN AWAY.
THE WASHINGTON POST IN THE
MEANTIME, WE'RE FURIOUS THAT
SHE HAD ESCAPED AND THEY PLACED
AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE LOCAL
NEWSPAPER WHICH WAS COMMON AT
THE TIME FOR A FUGITIVE SLAVE.
MACLEOD SAYS GEORGE WASHINGTON
EVENTUALLY BEGAN TO QUESTION
SLAVERY AND IN HIS WILL HE
FREED THE ENSLAVED PEOPLE HE
OWNED DIRECTLY.
YOU HAVE TO HOLD TWO OPPOSING
THINGS AT THE SAME TIME
WASHIGNTON WAS A GREAT LEADER
AND HE WAS ALSO A SLAVE OWNER.
EVERYBODY IS GOING TO HAVE TO
WEIGH THE MORALITY OF DWIKE
QUINTARD TAYLOR, A UNIVERSITY
OF WASHINGTON PROFESSOR
EMERITUS, IS A SPECIALIST IN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY.
I THINK WE NEED TO BEGIN TO
LOOK AT ALL OF THESE FOLKS WHO
WERE POLLED OUR LEADERS, THE
FOUNDING FATHERS, ALL OF THAT.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT THEM WITH
FRESH EYES AND WE NEED TO
UNDERSTAND THAT THAT ALL
OF THEM IS INDEED ALL OF US.
WE'RE FLAWED.
WE'RE CLOSED AMID THE NATIONAL
RECKONING ON RACISM, CALLS TO
REMOVE THE STATUE HAVE BEEN MET
WITH SUPPORT BUT ALSO HARSH
CRITICISM.
THE BLACK STUDENT UNION MEMBERS
SAY THEY'VE EXPERIENCED
DIRECTLY.
WE'VE GOT AN IMMENSE AMOUNT
OF HATE MAIL, NEGATIVE
COMMENTS, NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.
THERE ARE EVEN PEOPLE PUSHING
FOR OUR SUSPENSION.
THE UNIVERSITY STILL UNDECIDED
ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE
STATUE SENT THIS LETTER TO
STUDENTS IN SEPTEMBER SAYING IT
SUPPORTS A REEXAMINATION
OF CAMPUS SYMBOLS, FIGURES OR
NAMES THAT ARE CONNECTED WITH
RACISM PAST OR PRESENT AND HAS
CONVENED A TASK FORCE TO FOLLOW
UP ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD.
AS FOR THIS STUDENS ALMOST
KNOWING THAT I LEFT THE SCHOOL
DOING SOMETHING IN MY POWER TO
ELEVATE IT.
SHE SEES THE STATUE AS A SMALL
PART OF A LARGER CONVERSATION
ONE SHE WANTS TO KEEP HAVING ON
THIS CAMPUS.
OUR EXCLUSIVE KING5 PEOLE
SURVEYED SIX HUNDRED FIFTY
WASHINGTONIANS AND WE ASKED
THEM WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO THE
STATUE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
CAMPUS.
A MAJORITY NEARLY 60 PERCENT
SAID THE STATUE SHOULD REMAIN
IN PLACE.
23 PERCENT WANT IT MOVED TO A
MUSEUM AND SIX PERCENT WANT IT
GONE.
AND WHAT ABOUT CHANGING THE
NAME OF WASHINGTON STATE?
AN OVERWHELMING 84 PERCENT SAID
NO TO THAT.
DO YOU HAVE A STORY IDEA FOR
THE FACING