The school’s superintendent resigned a week after the investigation was ordered, but the school’s Visitors Committee President John William Boland pushed back in a letter. Boland wrote that the school welcomed the review, “However, there is no systemic racism here and a fair and independent review will determine that it is true.”
On Monday, VMI removed a prominent statue of Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, which until recently had to be greeted by newbies. “VMI is not defined by this statue, and so this step is appropriate,” said Interim Superintendent Cedric Wins, a retired major general in the US Army and the first African American to lead the school.
During Tuesday’s visitors’ committee meeting, Wins said he wanted to bring the school “into a more inclusive environment” and “an environment that embraces diversity,” the newspaper reported.
“I think we have to take off every kind of armor, every kind of resistance that we have to have against a discussion and dialogue about race, racism and things like that to improve the cadet corps,” said Wins.
The council had sought an independent contractor to deal with the school’s culture, policies and practices. Identify civil rights violations; Compare VMI to other higher education institutions in Virginia. and recommend any necessary reforms.
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