Wiggins: What’s in a name? What happens inside a building is more important than the name on the outside

It would be foolish to argue that what we choose to label a person or thing has no effect. Though the old English rhyme of “sticks and stones” suggests that names cannot injure, research and common sense tell us that teasing and slander can indeed wound the spirit and the mind.

Recent demands to remove the names of the infamous from public buildings suggest that those calling for such changes view quite seriously the pain they inflict. Debates about the removal of the name of a scoundrel or menace often center around measuring the harm (or the benefit) of the name, and not just the man.

My professional life has been committed to the use and study of words, so I understand those who want to sandblast public buildings to erase reminders of the misdeeds of the structures’ namesakes. But I also understand, as a journalist, that history and culture lend essential context to our public artifacts.

It’s important to understand that citizens or their representatives memorialized men who meant something to those who had the power to bestow such honors. This, of course, meant those who were marginalized or disenfranchised by race, class or gender had no say in the matter. While it is arguable whether having a building named after Gov. Benjamin Tillman harms students currently enrolled at Winthrop University, it is a part of historical record that Tillman was a menace to the African-American citizens of our state. Does the specter of Pitchfork Ben wander the corridors of Tillman Hall, metaphorically speaking?

That is the crux of the issue for me. In my view, the name on the building is less important than what is going on within its walls. How are lives being enriched or fortified by the teaching, research and service conducted there? Similarly, if citizens entering public buildings named after a segregationist are treated with respect and offered needed support and resources, then the current reality trumps the crusty past.

However, if the college is having no positive effect on its students and if citizens going to city hall or the county administration building are treated like pests and services denied or delayed, then the name of the facility would hardly be the most pressing concern.

And that is what name protestors should be asking: What actual benefits are we deriving from our public institutions and those working in them?

This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 12:00 PM.