Furman University
IL-14: Addressing Historic Injustices

Seeking Abraham Report https://www.furman.edu/about/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/11/Seeking-Abraham-Second-Edition.pdf

Task Force on Slavery and Justice and Seeking Abraham Project: https://www.furman.edu/about/task-force-on-slavery-and-justice/ 

With the support of the board, president and provost, the Task Force on Slavery and Justice was formed to examine Furman University’s historical connections to slavery and to help Furman better understand and learn from its past. This pursuit builds upon Furman’s principles as an academic institution that embraces liberal arts and sciences ideals, including a high regard for human value, reflection, innovation, and ceaseless accuracy. The process has been guided by scholarship and undergraduate research in communication studies, history, sociology and sustainability, among others, and led by students, faculty, staff and alumni.

A Special Committee was formed and all recommendations were approved by the Board of Trustees. In May 2019, President Davis announced the following Board of Trustees Resolution:

Dear Furman Community,

Since the Task Force on Slavery and Justice was formed in 2017, our campus has been working together to examine and fully understand our history and our connections to slavery, and how to best use this knowledge. This collective work has encouraged and guided us in acknowledging this past. We cannot change our history, but we can, as we are doing today, show that we are true champions for a more inclusive future.

In October (2018), the Board of Trustees accepted the Task Force on Slavery and Justice report, “Seeking Abraham,” endorsed expanding the Joseph Vaughn scholarship, and encouraged the administration and faculty to move forward in considering the report’s other recommendations not under Board purview. The Board also established a special committee to consider the report’s recommendations that required trustees’ approval. The Special Committee on Slavery and Justice gathered information, met with the Task Force and other experts, and interviewed current and former trustees to produce a set of recommendations it presented to the Board this past weekend.

At a campus event this morning, we announced that the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the special committee’s recommendations, including removing the name of the university’s first president, James C. Furman, from the building located at the heart of campus, and renaming it Furman Hall, in honor and celebration of the entire Furman family and all of the students, faculty, staff and alumni who have contributed to the history of the university.

The university will also create a statue of Joseph Vaughn, Furman’s first African-American student, and place it in a prominent, comprehensive place of celebration and reflection on campus to help tell the story of Vaughn’s important contributions to Furman’s history.

The other recommendations approved by the Board include:

Naming the lakeside housing area the Clark Murphy Housing Complex in honor of Mr. Murphy, an African-American who worked for many years at the Greenville Woman’s College, which later merged with Furman University.

Naming the walkway area leading up to the Bell Tower as Abraham Sims Plaza, in recognition of Mr. Sims and other enslaved persons who built and worked on Furman’s various campuses prior to the university moving to its current location.

Honoring Lillian Brock-Flemming and Sarah Reese, Furman’s first female African-American students, in a comprehensive place of celebration and reflection on campus. The university also will explore naming programs related to their fields of study and their connections to Furman and the Greenville community.

Continuing to inventory and rank the university’s use of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles as part of its overall investment process.

In concert with the Board, president, faculty, staff and students, reviewing the university’s mission, vision, values and motto, and recommending any potential changes to the Board for approval.

In consultation and coordination with faculty, staff and alumni, providing context in markers and plaques throughout campus to honestly acknowledge the university’s history and tell a more complete and inclusive story about the people and actions that shaped Furman.

The Board also committed to providing the lead gift for the creation of the Joseph Vaughn statue and to supporting other related projects.

Alec Taylor, chair of the Board of Trustees, and I would like to share our gratitude and appreciation to the Task Force and the Special Committee for their commitment to carrying out this important work in a thoughtful and meaningful way. We understand that there is nothing we can do to alter or fully address our past. We can, however, make real changes that show our commitment to diversity and inclusion and to ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to thrive at Furman and to feel a sense of belonging here.

Please see our news release for more information about today’s announcement.

Warmly,

Elizabeth Davis
President

Land Acknowledgement: https://www.furman.edu/about/land-acknowledgment/

We acknowledge that Furman University occupies traditional land of the Cherokee People, a land where the Catawba and other indigenous people might also have found food. Long before our Alma Mater sang of the mountain river that laves ‘our mother’s’ feet, the Cherokee honored that water, the land through which it flowed, and all the creatures living on the land with them. From the natural world, they also learned to live and form communities of respect. It is with gratitude that we, too, honor the land and the people who have stewarded it through many generations. We also must acknowledge that we benefit from the Cherokees’ loss of land and commit to remembering the human cost of colonialism. This Land Acknowledgement challenges us to learn from the Cherokee people and to draw from their wisdom about community, resilience, and the meaning of life which this land nurtured.

Joseph A. Vaughn Scholarships honor the memory of the late Joseph Vaughn, Furman’s first African American student. Vaughn Scholarships are some of Furman’s most prestigious academic awards, given to five incoming first-year students who currently reside in the state of South Carolina and have demonstrated the academic potential to succeed and have a strong commitment to leadership, service, and resiliency. Select students will be identified by the Vice President for Enrollment Management and will be invited to participate in a selection interview in March.  The scholarship includes full tuition, room, board, and all fees for four years. 

Established a Black Alumni Council: The Black Alumni Council (BAC) consists of members who represent the broader Black alumni community. These representatives work to increase engagement with the Black alumni community, support the undergraduate experience for Furman’s Black student population, participate in meaningful dialogue with university leadership, and oversee the activities of the Black Alumni Association. The BAC is one of Furman’s premier volunteer leadership groups.

Black Alumni Association: The Black Alumni Association (BAA) is the official affinity group of Furman’s Black alumni community. The BAA, under the leadership of the Black Alumni Council, partners with the Furman Alumni Association and regional FAN Clubs to plan and promote networking opportunities, social events, and reunions for the Black alumni community.

Helen Lee and Danielle Vinson (along with the President and Provost) have made a formal relationship with the EBCI (Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian) related to our land acknowledgement.    https://www.furman.edu/news/furman-unveils-plaque-acknowledging-cherokee-land/ 

We also have a a chapter of the The Native and Indigenous Peoples Student Association (NAIA).  The NAIA recognizes that the native and indigenous students at Furman come from a vast number of communities, regions, and countries, each with their own culture and values. Our mission is to ensure that Furman is a welcoming environment for all native and indigenous peoples regardless of their individual beliefs and connections to their identity and communities. We will work to ensure that the transition to college allows each native and indigenous student to be comfortable acknowledging their traditions and beliefs with their classmates and faculty and to ensure that they feel valued, supported and successful so they may return to their communities as educated leaders.

Indigenous People's Day: https://www.furman.edu/admissions-aid/admission-blog/honoring-indigenous-peoples-day-at-furman-university/