Ole Miss adding slavery info to plaque by Confederate statue
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The University of Mississippi will revise a plaque beside a Confederate monument on its Oxford campus to add more information about the Civil War and slavery.
Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said Friday that the change comes in response to criticism that the original plaque, put up earlier this year, glossed over the reasons the war was fought.
Vitter’s predecessor as chancellor, Dan Jones, announced in 2014 that Ole Miss would provide historical context for Old South symbols as a way to acknowledge its complex history and to make a diverse student body feel more welcome.
The university was founded in 1848, and the Confederate soldier statue was dedicated in 1906.
Vitter also said Friday that the university will continue to use the nickname Ole Miss and will retain the Rebels mascot.
