By Riley Morningstar
Courtesy The Journal

rmorningstar@upstatetoday.com

CLEMSON — Clemson University’s Undergraduate Student Government published a letter Monday condemning police brutality, systemic racism and the “senseless murder of Black people” as protests and riots over the death of George Floyd roil the nation.

Referred to as CUSG, the group released a letter on social media to the “Clemson Community” sending condolences to Floyd’s family and “countless others who have been murdered due to the color of their skin.”

“We acknowledge that our university is not exempt from the systemic racism in society. Racism permeates several aspects of Clemson’s campus and community,” the letter said. “From the ground of John C. Calhoun’s plantation, buildings that we inhabit like Tillman Hall, overtly racist incidents in the town of Clemson, to covert microaggressions within the classroom and residence halls, our community is culpable, and remaining silent further enables these racial injustices.”

Since Floyd’s death in a Minnesota police officer’s custody on Memorial Day, nationwide protests have sparked, calling for appropriate justice and police reform — with some protests leading way to widespread rioting and looting.

Heritage Act halts changes

In recent years, various student-led groups have called for the university to rename some campus landmarks named in honor of slave owners. This includes school founder Thomas Green Clemson, Benjamin Tillman and John Calhoun. One of the main inhibitors, legislatively, comes from the 2000 Heritage Act passed by the South Carolina General Assembly.

The law prohibits the “removal, changing or renaming of any local or state monument, marker, memorial, school or street erected or named in honor of the Confederacy or the civil rights movement.” Any change must be passed by a two-thirds vote in the Senate and House.

In 2015, Clemson’s faculty senate passed a resolution asking the school’s board of trustees to change the name of Tillman Hall because he was an “avowed racist.”

A day later, board of trustees chairman David Wilkins said the board did not intend to change the names of buildings on campus.

Others speak up

In a Monday teleconference with reporters, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said everyone must “absolutely come together” in a time with “so much bad news.”

“First and foremost, I know we’re all hurting for the Floyd family and our country,” Swinney told reporters. “I can speak for our entire staff and team in that regard for sure. We’ve all witnessed just disgusting acts of evil — that’s really the only word I can appropriately use — over the past week and beyond, but to really be able to address it, everything, for me, goes back to my faith.

“That’s where I draw my peace, hope and perspective from, and I’m glad I don’t have social media, because my reaction would have probably been to jump on social media and probably say things I shouldn’t say and regret. I’m glad I don’t have that, but what I know as a I approach everything from a perspective of faith is where there are people, there’s going to be hate, racism, greed, jealousy, crime and so on, because we live in a sinful, fallen world. We’ve had so much bad news. Everywhere you turn, there’s bad news.”

On Sunday morning, university president Jim Clements joined other higher education leaders on Twitter in solidarity for reform and equality.

“Let there be no doubt, we as a society must do better,” Clements said in a tweet. “Racism, injustice and hatred cannot be tolerated. We can, and must, do better.”

On Monday, Clements issued a letter to the community asking for any ideas for progress to be sent to UnitedClemson@clemson.edu.

“Our work is not only in the moment, but it also lies in the daily development of our University community, as we work to ensure that everyone feels welcome and valued as a part of this Clemson Family,” he said.

CUSG collaborated with representatives from the Clemson Black Student Union, Clemson Queer Students of Color Association and the Clemson Improvement Association in formulating a statement. The undergraduate government encouraged non-black students to “take a stand and fight against racism,” saying silence is equal to compliance.