Amelia Bowers
Editor
When Nora Miller first announced the new anticipated name of the university, Mississippi Brightwell University, it was all anyone on and off campus could talk about. I received countless calls, texts and messages from friends and classmates, and I especially received an earful of my mother’s thoughts, herself a W graduate of 1998.
It was clear that the name change was a big deal, and not a lot of people were happy about it. Many people felt as if their voices weren’t being heard, and they took proper action to make clear that they did not support the new name. Many of my own peers felt like the name ‘Brightwell’ was unnatural sounding and didn’t convey the type of quality education one can receive here at The W.
As we all know, the university took note of this, and the new name, Wynbridge State University of Mississippi, was revealed just last week. Naturally, this decision has received its own pushback, and the name change process has once again been put on hold. However, I think that it is important as students, alumni and friends of The W to take a moment to reflect on our school’s history (I mean, that’s what got us into this debacle in the first place, isn’t it?)
At the ceremony that took place on February 13, when the name Wynbridge was revealed, I was particularly moved by the speech given by none other than Laverne Greene-Leech.
Greene-Leech was one of the “Fabulous Six,” a group of six black women who were the first to integrate The W’s campus (then known in 1966 as MSCW). At the ceremony, she gave a speech covering the consideration of change and its implications. She spoke of how change can inspire resentment and hatred while simultaneously bringing about progress and gradual, general betterment. She received thunderous applause for her words, and I have begun to reflect on this moment in The W’s history.
The W was built on a radical idea- the idea that women could excel at university studies. It then showed it could change and progress when women, such as Greene-Leech, integrated the university. The move to accept men once again proved that The W could adapt and change. The change that is being sought doesn’t have to bring about an erasure of our history. Instead, we should focus on more ways to promote and uphold the same values that have always propelled the university forward.
As Greene-Leech said, change brings progress. We all want the university to move forward.