Of the 39 buildings named after figures in LDS church history currently in use for education and administration on BYU campus, only one is named after a woman and none are named after people of color. This is an oversight resulting from decades of racism in the creation of Brigham Young University and it is time to begin to remedy these patterns. The school can begin this process by mindfully and knowledgeably renaming buildings on campus to better represent its students and the history of the church with which it is associated.

Although the namesake of the Abraham O. Smoot Administration building was a man who made some significant contributions to the development of BYU, he was also a man who had enslaved Black individuals in his house. In well-known terms, he was a "slave owner." This administrative building is one that almost all BYU students engage with at some point in their academic careers and it is inappropriate for it to be named after a man who promoted racism through the practice of slavery. 

Jane Manning James was an early Black member of the LDS church. She worked in Joseph Smith's home and joined the church in 1842. Several times throughout her life, she petitioned the leaders of the LDS church for the right to receive her temple endowment and was denied every time. This petition argues that her name should be the one on the BYU administration building, not Abraham Smoot's. This change will be one way for the leaders of BYU to show their commitment to greater awareness, anti-racist action, and inclusive representation on campus.

Thank you for signing and supporting.