Panel discusses Wilson's legacy on race
Annie YangFormer University and United States presidentWoodrow Wilson, Class of 1879,is often noted for his domestic and international achievements, but was a divisive figure,Cecilia Rouse, dean of the Wilson School,said in a panelon Friday. “He alienated many while denying the others the fullness of their humanity on racial grounds,” she said. Under his watch, the University remained a bastion of white Anglo-Saxon Protestantism, and on a national level, segregated the Federal Civil Service, which closed a pathway for the advancement for African-Americans, she added. Panelist Chad Williams GS ’04, associate professor and chair of the Department of African and Afro-American Studies at Brandeis University, said thereis a bigger conversation to be had about how we think about history and the place of black people in this country’s history. He said that as a student, he understood the dissonance that had animated the BJL protest: the feeling of being “at” Princeton, but not “of” Princeton. “Having this conversation is very important.