Yes, We are Going to Talk about Palmer Again.

With the recent removal of the confederate statues in Memphis, and even talk about relocating Nathan Bedford Forrest’s remains, I can’t help but think about the Palmer hall issue here on the Rhodes Campus. I know that this is an issue that the faculty at Rhodes is currently very invested in, and I want to begin with a disclaimer that I’m not trying to claim that nothing is being done. Rhodes was sure to be transparent on the issue to the first-years (at least in my own experience) during our activities in welcome week, and continues to keep the issue relevant.

I know that everyone knows about this Palmer controversy, but just in case, I will mention that Dr. Benjamin Morgan Palmer was a secessionist and avid supporter of slavery. Having preached in his "Thanksgiving Sermon" that it was Southerners' calling by God to “conserve and to perpetuate the institution of domestic slavery,” Palmer’s beliefs do not align with Rhodes’ beliefs on diversity and minority empowerment. According to Rhodes’ commitment to diversity, the college “will not tolerate harassment or discrimination on” the basis of “race, gender identity or expression, color, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and national or ethnic origin”.

I know one of the reasons why there is an issue with renaming Palmer is that people contributed a lot of money to the college under that name, but I would argue that the lives lost to slavery and the pain felt by black men and women is a much steeper price than any amount of money anyone could ever pay.

We discussed this in my Life class last semester, and one minor concern that someone had was the cat. Being and off-campus student, I really don’t know much about this cat other than his or her name is Palmer Cat. The girl who raised this concern tried to cut the tension in the room by jokingly musing about what we could rename it, but some people in the class took her joke seriously. I got the sense that they though it would be petty, but I’m pretty sure renaming a cat is not nearly as pressing of an issue as commemorating a man who subscribed to the idea that it was okay to own other people.

Also in my Life class last semester, taught by Professor Loynes, I was happy that the majority of the people who spoke up about the issue were in favor of changing the name. However, I think the silence of others speaks just as loud. People have a tendency to keep their racist opinions to themselves when in a progressive setting such as Professor Loynes’ class for fear of being challenged. This is yet another reason to change the name of Palmer hall, as its endurance serves as not only a reminder of the man himself, but also of the stagnancy of progress on social issues due to people who do not challenge their own opinions by voicing them and being open to opposition.