Sauradeep Sinha
University of Maryland President Wallace Loh’s recently formed Byrd Stadium Naming Work Group has been tasked with assessing the possibility of renaming Byrd Stadium. This work group comprises four subcommittees responsible for understanding the history behind naming the stadium, policies involved in naming and renaming buildings, community engagement and ways other universities have handled renaming issues. It is commendable that President Loh and our campus community have responded and taken action through a seemingly comprehensive group to address a community concern that delves deep into societal and cultural tensions both within and off the campus.
Issues of racism and misogyny are inherent problems, as evidenced by last semester’s controversies regarding Greek life. The email incident sparked discussions and protests to raise awareness of how racism and discrimination mold and impact our characters and values. Soon, concerns with Byrd Stadium’s name became a major issue, to the point that the Student Government Association voted last semester to support a name change.
Many believe that naming the stadium after Harry “Curley” Byrd fundamentally goes against this university’s principles of diversity and inclusivity. Byrd denied African-Americans enrollment at this university and enforced deplorable measures of segregation. It is understandable why many people would like to change the stadium’s name. It certainly would send a powerful message, but it would not be the right message or have any significant lasting effects.
Simply removing a venue’s name with negative associations ignores the deeper issues at play and shows that a problem can be resolved by simply covering it up, or in this case, changing a name. Community members and students will miss and eventually forget about Byrd’s history and actions and fail to recognize the strides this university has made when dealing with such a complex societal issue.
Rather, by having Byrd’s name remain a part of the stadium, students can draw on it as a source of inspiration to learn more about the campus’ history and what they can do to enact positive changes to our community and society. In the process, this will help maintain the idea that universities are open areas for discussion and change. President Loh’s work group is in line with this idea, and by establishing subcommittees, it will carefully evaluate various issues while engaging the community and raising awareness.
Moreover, when tackling issues of racism and segregation, recent finalization of the Frederick Douglass memorial in Hornbake Plaza will have a more profound impact than changing Byrd Stadium’s name.
A memorial to Douglass, one the most recognized abolitionist leaders, will show that this university is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community and remind its students of important societal values. The memorial will stand as a continual reminder of the issues of racism and segregation in play even today.
At its core, President Loh’s work group will focus on addressing equality issues. If this group were to expand its focus to finding other opportunities such as building more memorials in honor of inspiring pro-equality figures, the message for progress and desire for change would be much more powerful than a simple name change.
