Names matter, especially at Duke. It is all but impossible to go four years at our institution without coming across a slew of them—Baldwin, Keohane, McClendon and Biddle to name a few. These names should reflect not only famous or rich donors, but also the values that the University holds. The name Aycock particularly sticks out—“up all night,” etc.
But beyond the puns, students do not know this: Aycock was also a racist.
An impressive orator, Charles Brantley Aycock helped lead the Democratic Party to victory on a platform of aggressive white supremacy, and played a role in leading the only successful coup d’état in American history.
If you thought coup d’états only happened in developing countries, think again.
On Nov. 10, 1898, an armed mob of at least 2,000 white supremacists, including Aycock, marched on the City Hall of Wilmington, N.C. and forced both black and white officials to resign and torched the office of a black-owned newspaper. After the Republican mayor was forced to resign, Alfred Moore Waddel, a former Democratic congressman was “elected” mayor of the city by a new city council.
According to his biographer Oliver Orr, Jr., Aycock told the coup planners “to wear red shirts or carry guns” and to remember that “they must do these things to protect the white race, especially the white women, against the Negro.” By the end of the day, dozens of black citizens of Wilmington had been killed—some estimate well over 100.
Wilmington had a large African-American population and had a robust biracial Republican Party that dominated the municipal government. An article published in a Wilmington black-owned newspaper that whites deemed offensive (and which had been sensationally re-published in white papers throughout the state) helped ignite the passions of the Nov. 10 coup.
But it was Aycock, the party’s star speechmaker, and other Democratic Party orators who fueled the flames of white anger for months. In a speech a month before the riot in which speakers condemned the “negro domination” of Wilmington, Aycock proclaimed the city to be “the center of the white supremacy movement” in North Carolina. Once elected governor, Aycock diligently worked to protect and further entrench segregation in North Carolina.
Like the slave owner who penned the words “all men are created equal” or the progressive internationalist who promoted democracy abroad while embracing the Jim Crow segregation that denied democracy to millions at home, Aycock is a problematic figure.
His drive for equal education for all should be praised, and perhaps it should be noted that he advocated increased funding for black schools. But he was instrumental in denying blacks in North Carolina their full rights as citizens and was a firm supporter of school segregation.
It’s time for North Carolina to reconsider the way in which the state honors Aycock. Currently, Aycock is honored with one of North Carolina’s two statues in the U.S. Capitol building. It’s time for that to change.
Duke should take the lead in this conversation by changing the name of Aycock Dormitory, hopefully to honor someone whose legacy can inspire rather than embarrass future generations of Duke students.
Ben Bergmann is a Trinity junior and president of Duke Democrats. Will Passo is a Trinity junior, Duke Democrats vice president of political affairs and Duke Student Government vice president of Durham and regional affairs.
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