School authorities at a New Orleans university have removed its “Victory Bell” after discovering that it was utilized on a plantation and represented a “horrific part of our country’s past.”
In a letter to students on Thursday, authorities at Tulane University said it was “terribly disheartening” to discover about the history of the monolith, which they called a “symbol of the Tulane spirit.”
The bell came to the university 6 years ago. For many years, it was rung to celebrate Tulane basketball victories.
But the letter, from university board chairman Doug Hertz and president Mike Fitts, said that officials found out recently that the bell was created in 1825 and was used to direct the movement of enslaved Africans.
“Now that we comprehend its history as an instrument of slavery, continuing to use this bell in a celebratory manner would run counter to our values as a university neighborhood,” the letter said.
The bell was relocated to storage on Thursday while the school further investigates its origins. The letter added that authorities are still determining what to do with it next.
The monolith’s elimination was one of lots of in the last few years, as cities and universities from North Carolina and Kentucky to Mississippi and Virginia have actually considered the tradition of Confederate statues. Tim Stelloh is a reporter for NBC News, based in California.
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