The University of Alabama at Birmingham often prides itself on its diversity on campus, among both its students and its faculty.  One beautiful example of Birmingham's important place in civil rights history resides on UAB's campus - Spencer Honors House - where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached from its pulpit.  While this place and our campus's diversity are two of the many factors that makes me proud to be an alumnus of the university, the namesake of one of the buildings on campus does not bring me this same pride.  Wallace Gymnasium is named after George Wallace - a former governor of Alabama.

As governor, George Wallace promoted and encouraged segregation between black and white people while actively trying to prevent integration in the public schools of Alabama.  Such beliefs and actions are the exact antithesis to the diversity and acceptance that UAB currently touts when attracting prospective students each year.  Wallace even PERSONALLY stood in the way of two black students at the University of Alabama in order to prevent them from registering for classes.

On June 1st, the administration at UAB released a statement saying, "Nothing we can say can heal the deep pain and fear in our community. But we can recognize injustice and actively and purposefully live for integrity, respect, accountability, diversity and inclusiveness every day. Do not let your concern subside. Be a difference for positive change."  Allowing a structure to be named after a man who was so against integration in the US and was often regarded as the embodiment of the opposition to the civil rights movement, not only opposes this statement, but disrespects the rich history of Birmingham and its role in the civil rights movement.  

Many recent alumni will recall that graduates congregate and line up in Wallace Gymnasium before crossing the street and entering the ceremony at Bartow Arena.  It is a sobering fact to recognize that students of all different races, nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds gather in a place named for a man who deliberately fought to prevent such celebrations and accomplishments from happening for so many black men and women.  Removing this man's name from UAB's campus can contribute to the university's promise to strive toward being a difference for positive change.