Keylor in the Media: Removing Wilson’s Name
William Keylor, Professor of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, spoke to members of the press about a Nov. 18 protest at Princeton University calling for the removal of Woodrow Wilson’s name from school programs and buildings.
Keylor commented on criticisms of Wilson, whose legacy as a progressive President is marred by racism, for the Associated Press on Thursday, Nov. 19, in an article widely syndicated entitled “Students Want Woodrow Wilson’s Name Removed from Princeton.”
From the text of the article:
William Keylor, professor of international relations at the Pardee School of Boston University, said Wilson, who was born in Virginia, brought Southern values and opinions to the White House and allowed for the reinstatement of segregation in a city that had been desegregated.
“We should recognize that racial aspect of his behavior, of his administration and certainly not deny it or sweep it under the rug, but at the same time we have to recognize that he was a very effective reformer, domestically … and he was a champion of self-determination abroad,” Keylor said. “We have to treat him as a human being with these flaws, but also recognizing his great contributions to American history.”
You can read the entire article here.
Keylor’s scholarship on the topics of Wilson and race was further referenced in a Nov. 19 article on Inside Higher Education entitled “History, Words, Race.”
From the text of the article:
Wilson (at right) is known for many progressive policies and for idealistic views about the spread of democracy around the world. But historians have also noted that he was an unapologetic racist who took many actions as president of the United States that held back even minimal rights for black people. And while many argue against judging people from earlier generations by today’s standards, this essay by William Keylor, professor of history and international relations at Boston University, notes that Wilson moved federal policy on racial equality backward. He undid moves toward desegregation by federal agencies, and he defended segregation.
You can view the article here.
Keylor has been a Guggenheim, Fulbright, Woodrow Wilson, Earhart, and Whiting Fellow. He was elected to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, has been named Chevalier de L’Ordre National du Mérite by the French government, and has served as the president of the Society for French Historical Studies. Learn more about him here.