After George Floyd, an unarmed Black American man, was murdered by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020, many people protested against systemic racism, both in the United States and internationally. During the course of these protests, many monuments and memorials were vandalized or toppled by protestors, prompting those people who were in charge of other similar monuments to remove them from public view. Similarly, many names, mascots, and other controversial forms of symbolism were either changed or removed under direct or indirect public pressure. In other countries, race-related and colonial issues were also raised, and some of them were acted upon. In some cases, changes were already being planned or they had already been under consideration before the outbreak of the protests.
Color code:
Abbreviations used: ES: Elementary school HS: High school MS: Middle school TBD: To be determined
Education
Image Old New Location Reported Executed Details Sir Francis Drake HSArchie Williams HS San Anselmo CA US Sir Francis Drake High School was renamed Archie Williams High School for former teacher and Olympic athlete Archie Williams, after awareness grew of Francis Drake's involvement with the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism and piracy, along with his symbolic connection to the racist ideology of Anglo-Saxonism. P. G. T. Beauregard HallLeonidas K. Polk Hall College of Science and TechnologyCollege of Education and Behavioral Sciences ThibodauxLA The Nicholls State University president announced the renaming of two buildings on campus named for people associated with the Confederacy who had no relationship to the university. Gladstone Hall Greenbank Hall of Residence Liverpool UK The University of Liverpool announced that it would rename a hall of residence honoring prime minister William Ewart Gladstone, for "his views on slavery". Clements, Max. University will rename student halls named after former Prime Minister William Gladstone . Liverpool Echo. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020. Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design School of Art, Architecture and Design London London Metropolitan University announced that the school's name would no longer refer to Sir John Cass, because of his links to the slave trade. Jefferson ESWashington ES Ruth Acty ES Berkeley CA US The Berkeley Unified School District board unanimously voted to rename two elementary schools because of Thomas Jefferson's and George Washington's ownership of slaves. Jefferson ES was renamed after Ruth Acty, the first teacher of color in the Berkeley Unified School District, who dedicated nearly 50 years of her life to teaching. Von KleinSmid Center for International and Public Affairs (USC) The Center for International and Public Affairs(temporarily)Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center for International and Public Affairs Los AngelesCA US The executive committee of the board of trustees of the University of Southern California (USC) voted unanimously to remove Rufus B. von KleinSmid's name. Von KleinSmid was the fifth president of USC, an active supporter of eugenics and forced sterilization, and the only West Coast university president who refused to send the transcripts of Japanese American students who were released from World War II internment camps to colleges in other states.