The ULM chapters of College Democrats, Feminists in Action, and NAACP hereby bring forth this petition to rename Walker Hall. 

This year, the institutionalized racism that has plagued the United States for generations gained national attention after the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude, and countless other Black Americans. Without a doubt, police brutality and racial profiling contributed to these deaths, and communities decided to remain silent no more. Countless peaceful protests and demonstrations took place across the country (some even taking place in Monroe). People began to reevaluate our nation’s dark history. Demands were made of our civic institutions. Change even made its way to the college campus.

Walker Hall is located at the heart of ULM’s campus, housing the university’s Humanities Department and dozens of classrooms. In 2011, ULM administration under Dr. Nick Bruno dedicated the building to George T. Walker, ULM’s longest serving president, claiming his commitment to students remains unmatched. Unfortunately, Walker was not interested in committing to ALL of his students.

In the 1960’s, ULM, then known as Northeast Louisiana State College (NLCS), had to be forcefully desegregated by the federal government after Walker’s administration refused to admit Sarah Louise McCoy based on her race. Despite a lengthy legal battle between McCoy and Walker’s administration, Sarah persevered and successfully became the first Black graduate at NLCS. After the ruling, Walker claimed the university would comply with the ruling but publicly disagreed with McCoy’s admittance.

Walker’s repeated attempts to exclude Black students from the university and active opposition to integration is something that we, as a student body, and ULM’s administration must confront. Although there is no concrete evidence that Walker’s actions predate McCoy’s case, it is very clear where he and his administration stood on the issue. We are recommending that ULM faces this issue head-on.

Further reading: https://ulmhawkeyeonline.com/27329/feature-stories/rename-walker-hall-we-must-confront-racist-past/