Replies(3) VMI has been at the center of controversy after cadets alleged a system of racism at the school and for its veneration of the Confederacy. Gov. Ralph Northam, a member of the VMI class of 1981, ordered an investigation into systemic racism at the school. (Kristi Blokhin/Shutterstock) LEXINGTON, VA — The Virginia Military Institute's Board of Visitors voted to remove the name of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson from Memorial Hall on the grounds of the Lexington school. The board of visitors also voted to remove Jackson's name from a quote inscribed on the Old Barracks at VMI. Because research has shown that Jackson did not originate the phrase, his name is being moved from underneath the quote, VMI said.