When former Slavery Advocates talk about Inclusion
The founder of Dalhousie University, George Ramsay, the 9th Earl of Dalhousie, claimed he wanted to create a college open to all in 1818. But like the hypocrite he was, women were not admitted until 1881, and it was in 1896 that the first black student graduated. Now there is documentation that he was a racist. To quote,
There are documented statements from George Ramsay expressing views on race, slavery, and settlers and freed slaves of African descent that are far removed from the inclusive language he laid out for his university vision: statements that suggest a desire to return newly freed slaves to their masters, for example, or which view freed slaves as “incapable of industry.”
I would not be surprised if slave drivers and owners of slave-transporting ships showed up linked to his genealogy. Given Dalhousie’s “commitment to inclusion,” will they change the name of the University?