University of Virginia Library

Colloquium

Why Protest
Founders Day?

By Robert Rosen

The University formally honors
Thomas Jefferson once every year
on a day called Founder's Day near
or upon his birthday April 13. The
honoring of Mr. Jefferson ordinarily
takes the form of honoring his
creation, the University, as well as
individuals whom the University
Administration (and others of that
ilk) choose to single out for praise.
This year a "civil rights" award is
being given, for example, by that
crusading group, the Seven Society,
widely known for its longstanding
interest in human dignity. In short,
Founder's Day is a happy holiday
in which we all innocently pat each
other on the back, extol each
others' separate (but equal) Jeffersonian
principles, and thank God
that we are fortunate enough to
reside in a Jeffersonian Wonderland.

Sincerely Thankful

I, for one, am sincerely thankful
for Mr. Jefferson. I do, however,
have serious reservations about the
contemporary state of his university.
And I have serious reservations
about this circus - no matter how
genteel or innocent - which somehow
conveys the appearance of
Thomas Jefferson minus the meaning
of Thomas Jefferson. It all
reminds me of Antony's speech in
"Julius Caesar." We have come to
praise Mr. Jefferson, not to unearth
him. We have come to praise the
man...but let his principles remain
dead and buried. The Administration
tells us they praise Mr.
Jefferson, and they are honorable
men.

Segregated University

I do not think we praise or
honor or even acknowledge Mr.
Jefferson when we set aside a day
for the glorification of an essentially
segregated University. I do not
think we honor Mr. Jefferson when
we stand idly by as large sums of
money are lavishly spent for Sesquicentennial
tea parties, offices, pamphlets,
celebrations, and publicity,
and yet funds cannot be found for
bringing disadvantaged blacks and
whites into the University. I do not
think we honor Mr. Jefferson when
we celebrate, in the midst of a
national racial crisis, a University
which is 99% white, and is making
little effort to right wrongs. I think
rather we dishonor Mr. Jefferson
when we trample "All men are
created equal" as the Founder's
Day marchers will soon trample the
grass on his Lawn. I think we
desecrate his memory when even
for one day we pretend that our lily
white gentility is remotely related
to out Founder's spirit. It is my
own feeling that Mr. Jefferson
would be standing aside from the
Founder's Day goings-on were he a
student here this year. As pictured
in the Coalition's. Counter-Sesquicentennial
symbol, Mr. Jefferson
would have laughed off this
vain pomposity in the midst of
grave crisis.

Un-Bury Him

The Coalition protests are designed
not only to praise Mr.
Jefferson, but to un-bury him.
They are designed to call attention
to what needs attention called to it:
namely, the failure of the administration
to take the necessary steps
to institute a more permanent,
far-reaching, genuine Transitional
program; the failure of the administration
to forthrightly appoint and
adequately pay a black Dean of
Admissions; the failure of the
faculty to begin to institute a real
Black Studies program rather than
create illusions made of flimflam
and farce; the failure of the
Athletic Department of desegregate
football and basketball when the
whole A.C.C. is ahead of it in this
area; the failure of the Governor
and the legislature to recognize the
disgusting wage conditions of nonprofessional
University employees.

Don't Like It

Somehow, many students and
faculty members just don't feel like
celebrating the 150th anniversary
year of a racist institution. Mr.
Jefferson's spirit rebels against it.
That august revolutionary who
spoke quietly for equality somehow
means different things to different
people, and to most of us he does
not mean acquiescing in racist
policies. He means, rather, leading a
revolution if that is necessary in
order to insure American equality
for all men.

Warren G. Harding once said, in
perhaps the most dubious compliment
ever paid another man, that
"no man's life even gave me greater
inspiration than Hamilton's." It is
tragic that many amongst us who
can passively accept racism can also
say that no man's life ever gave
them greater inspiration than Mr.
Jefferson's. Founder's Day this year
ought to discourage this perverted
picture of that sage. He was an
egalitarian. It is time to stop
praising him: rather let us unearth
his principles.