Yale University announced over the weekend it will rename its Calhoun College due to its namesake having ties to slave ownership and white supremacy. This reverses Yale President Peter Salovey’s previous announcement that the name would remain, despite student protests calling for a change.
Calhoun College was named after John C. Calhoun, who served as the seventh Vice President of the United States.
“The decision to change a college’s name is not one we take lightly, but John C. Calhoun’s legacy as a white supremacist and a national leader who passionately promoted slavery as a ‘positive good’ fundamentally conflicts with Yale’s mission and values,” Salovey said.