The University of Rhode Island recently announced plans to remove two murals depicting the events of World War II due to their lack of diversity. The decision was prompted after students complained that the mural was not compatible with the university’s values of inclusivity. According to the school’s Vice President of Student Affairs, “Some of our students have even shared with us they didn’t feel comfortable sitting in that space.”
According to a local news report, the University of Rhode Island plans to remove two 70-year-old murals that depict World War II over concerns that they do not feature enough diversity.
The murals were painted to pay respect to the memories of those that lost their lives in World War II. The murals feature various scenes including veterans returning to the United States and a University of Rhode Island class reunion.
Kathy Collins, the University of Rhode Island’s Vice President of Student Affairs, said that she has received numerous complaints from students about the murals’ lack of diversity.
“I have received complaints about the murals that portray a very homogeneous population predominately the persons painted and depicted on the wall are predominantly white and that does not represent who our institution is today,” Collins said. “Some of our students have even shared with us they didn’t feel comfortable sitting in that space.”
The murals were painted by Art Sherman, who is now a 95-year-old veteran and a member of the University of Rhode Island’s class of 1950. “Oh, I loved painting that, yeah,” Sherman told a reporter this week. “I never had any formal education in painting by the way I just used to cartoon.”
“Well, it depicted that era,” Sherman continued. “A lot of students, friends of mine, would come by and say why don’t you do this, why don’t you do that so that’s what I did so everybody chipped in.”
Breitbart News reported in June 2019 that George Washington High School in San Francisco decided that they would erase an “offensive” mural of George Washington.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more updates on this story.
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