‘There was no intent to cause harm, but we did, and for that I apologize to those who bear the pain of slavery in our history…’
(Michael Barnes, Liberty Headlines) Nothing appears to be off-limits in the current political climate, where anything can be construed as offensive and thus canceled—not even the handle of a 200-year-old sword.
The University of Virginia found itself on the receiving end of cancel-culture on Monday after activists accused the school of promoting slavery through its new university logo design.
The logo features a large gray V with an orange outline with two sabers underneath. But the handles on the sabers have grips reminiscent of slavery, critics alleged.
When the logo was unveiled in April, the grips were shaped to reference “the design of the serpentine walls found on the Grounds,” according to the school.
The serpentine walls were built two hundred years ago and served as a signature feature of the historic campus. But since they were built with the help of slave labor, they are now considered racist, even though the walls were torn down and replaced in the 1950s.
Carla Williams, the university’s athletic director — who also happens to be black — apologized and said the logo would be altered to nix the slavery connotation.
“There was no intent to cause harm, but we did, and for that I apologize to those who bear the pain of slavery in our history. As such, we have redesigned the logos to remove that detail. All other aspects of the logos will remain the same,” Williams said in a news release.
“Over the last few weeks, I have worked to better educate myself and that education will continue,” she added.
The University of Virginia was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s third president. Jefferson’s plantation home, called Monticello, is located a few miles away.
Kirt von Daacke, a radical history professor at the University of Virginia, and co-author of the 2019 book “Educated in Tyranny: Slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s University,” accused Jefferson of constructing the old walls to hide slave laborers from public view.