We, the Student Body of Elon Law, are urging for the immediate removal of former mayor, Jim Melvin's, portrait from the Elon Law building. 

On November 3, 1979, active members of the “Communist Workers’ Party,” a multi-racial labor group, hosted a “Death to the Klan” rally to counter Klan/Nazi efforts to intimidate workers from joining the union. This rally was hosted in Greensboro, NC in a predominately black community. Despite being informed that violence was likely between the Klan/Nazi counter-protestors and the demonstrators, there was no police presence in the area. A caravan of cars filled with white supremacists drove through the rally and subsequently gunned down and killed five protestors, which has been infamously named the “Greensboro Massacre.” 

The Klan/Nazi counter-protestors were acquitted on all murder charges at both the state and the federal level. Later, the Christic Institute filed a federal civil lawsuit against the Klan/Nazi counter-protestors, the State of North Carolina, and the City of Greensboro. The Institute won the judgement in favor of the demonstrators. 

In June 2004, an independent commission, The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission, “sought to examine ‘the context, causes, sequence and consequences of the events of November 3, 1979.’” This commission had access to substantial amounts of evidence and assigned blame on the City of Greensboro for the events that occurred during the Greensboro Massacre. 

Since the GTRC report, the City of Greensboro has expressed their regret in the part they played during the Greensboro Massacre. Even though the City of Greensboro has formally expressed their regret, Former Greensboro Mayor Jim Melvin, who also serves as the CEO and President for the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, which contributed a substantial amount to the founding of the Elon University School of Law building, has publicly taken a position counter to that of the city. Melvin has publicly stated that he is in support of the historical marker denoting the site of the Greensboro Massacre because it is a historic event. He also stated that the demonstrators provoked the Klan/Nazi counters and the subsequent events were in retaliation to the provocation. 

On June 1, 2020, a collective group of law students compiled a list of seven solutions that discussed ways Elon Law can be proactive in supporting their students of color and pushing their anti-racist agenda. On this comprehensive list included the “remo[val] of any paintings and photographs of historical perpetrators of social injustice and racial inequity currently present on the Elon Law campus.” This specific request has been made multiple times to administration, who in turn have decided to move the portrait from the Cemala Commons to a conference room in the Dean’s Suite. Although the portrait is not in the Cemala Commons anymore, it is still present on the Elon Law campus. This is a clear and undeniable sign that Elon Law knowingly prioritizes profits over principles, even though the school claims to have an unwavering anti-racism agenda.

In order to send a message that Elon Law supports anti-racism and wishes to foster a safe environment for preparing the next generation of attorneys requires a quick and simple removal of this portrait and any other signage/photography that supports the systematic oppression of people of color. 

THEREFORE, WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, call on you to immediately (1) remove the portrait of Former Mayor Jim Melvin from the Elon Law campus and (2) host a town hall based on the principle of transparency to answer student questions about an action plan for how Elon Law will include anti-racism throughout the curriculum.