Monday letters: Rename Tillman Hall for Gantt

The worst fear of those who did not see the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism but rather as a symbol of Southern culture and history was the slippery slope of history revision. So great discretion must be taken in considering name changes.

However, the near-immediate removal of the Confederate flag from the State House grounds after the Charleston A.M.E. massacre was needed. Moreover, Ben Tillman was among the worst of the worst racists, and to have Clemson’s primary building named after him is a stain on a marvelous institution.

I would recommend that the building be named after Clemson’s first black student, Harvey Gantt, who represents the best of the best of Clemson’s heart and soul and who went on the acquire a master’s degree from MIT and established himself as a high achiever in business and public service as a former mayor Charlotte.