By Sarah Gallaher | Staff Writer
In February 2023, Baylor announced plans to create a “Monument to Unknown Enslaved” on Founders Mall. However, despite Baylor’s efforts to “tell a more complete story” about the history of the university, the statue of Judge Baylor will remain in place, looming over the memorial of the enslaved people he once owned.
Founders Mall, located next to Pat Neff Hall and Draper Academic Building, is the most historical part of campus — dating back to 1887 with the construction of Old Main. It is perhaps the most important part of campus, as it houses most of Baylor’s historical architecture as well as administrative offices.
Leaving the Judge Baylor statue in place serves as a hateful reminder of Baylor’s past in a place intended to remember the lives of the enslaved people who built the original Independence campus. Allowing the statue to stand in the heart of campus diminishes the value of Baylor’s efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive campus.
Baylor’s namesake, Judge Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor served as both a law professor and a donor to the university. However, his questionable actions toward indigenous communities and the 33 people he enslaved distance him from Baylor’s modern values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. While Judge Baylor will always be an important part of Baylor’s history, his actions should not be praised, and the continued display of a monument in his honor does exactly that.
In February 2021, students held a protest in front of the statue, calling for its removal. Students said that removing the monument would be a first step in racial healing for Baylor’s minority student population. Additionally, they suggested that the statue be relocated to the Mayborn Museum instead of remaining on campus.
Since the statue has been on campus since 1939, destroying it completely would erase an important part of Baylor’s history. However, housing the statue in a less central part of campus, such as the Mayborn Museum, would preserve its historical significance while also distancing the university from its controversial past.
Relocating the statue is also entirely plausible. In 2022, Baylor relocated the statue of Rufus Burleson, Baylor’s second president, and renamed “Burleson Quadrangle” simply “The Quadrangle.” Similar to Judge Baylor, Burleson was a part of the Confederate army and a slaveholder, making the monument controversial to many.
Despite the fact that Baylor chose to relocate the Burleson statue, administration has announced plans to keep the Judge Baylor statue in place, adding additional signage that provides a more complete history of Baylor.
However, the greatest problem with the statue is its location. Campus tours and Line Camp groups pose with the statue, reinforcing the ties between Judge Baylor and the university. Its proximity to the “Monument to Unknown Enslaved” and the statues of Baylor’s first Black graduates, the Rev. Robert Gilbert and Barbara Walker, creates tension between conflicting aspects of Baylor’s history.
Additional signage is not enough. The Baylor Board of Regents needs to call for the relocation of the Judge Baylor statue prior to the construction of the “Monument to Unknown Enslaved.” Students and visitors should also use discretion when taking photos with the statue, considering the history behind it before they do.
If Baylor wants to rededicate Founders Mall as a place to tell Black history, the Judge Baylor statue should not sit at the head.