Duke History Professors Ask to Rename Building Honoring White Supremacist Who Dedicated ‘Silent Sam’ Statue

While the University of North Carolina is grappling with what to do with a Confederate statue toppled by protesters last week, its neighbor Duke University is also confronting its complicated past — and present. Historians at Duke have asked the university to change the name of the Carr Building, which houses their department. It honors the wealthy industrialist Julian Carr, who donated the land that now comprises Duke’s East Campus — and who made a now-infamous speech dedicating the Confederate statue known as “Silent Sam” at UNC.