Wake Forest University has been wrestling with some less savory aspects of its history for a while now â as well as its present, taking steps to ensure that all students, especially minorities, feel welcome on its campus. In February 2020, President Nathan O. Hatch apologized on behalf of the university for its historic role in perpetuating slavery in the late 1800s. The university established a commission on race, equity and community and joined a consortium of universities studying the issue.
So we have no doubt that the universityâs representatives had their hearts in the right place when they decided to rename Wingate Hall.
When Wake Forest University's president announced a new name for a building honoring a slave-owner, he framed it as part of the school's ongoing