On June 28, Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves announced a series of actions designed to reconcile elements of Emory’s history — including racism, disenfranchisement and dispossession — with the university’s present mission and values.

Emory will develop plans for Twin Memorials on the Atlanta and Oxford campuses to honor the labor of enslaved individuals who helped build the university. President Fenves said the Twin Memorials Working Group will lead additional efforts to recognize and memorialize enslaved laborers. The university will explore the adoption of an official land acknowledgement statement to recognize Emory’s location on the homelands of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. These actions follow recommendations from the Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations.

Emory will also rename Longstreet-Means Hall to Eagle Hall and change the name of Language Hall at Oxford College to honor alumnus Horace J. Johnson Jr., a judge and lawyer who made extraordinary contributions to the greater Atlanta and Newton County communities. These actions are based on recommendations from the University Committee on Naming Honors.