HBCU in Alabama renames hall named after KKK leader

An Alabama historically Black university renamed a dormitory that paid homage to a former governor who led a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) chapter nearly 100 years ago.

Alabama State University removed the name “Bibb Graves” from a dorm hall Wednesday, which has carried the former governor’s name since 1928, ABC News reported.

During his time as governor, Graves’s government constitutionally mandated white supremacy.

He served two four-year terms as governor from 1927 to 1935 and resigned from the Klan in 1928.

Two other state schools in Alabama have retired Graves’s name from campus buildings.

Alabama State President Quinton Ross Jr. said discussions about replacing the controversial governor’s name had been around since he was a university student.

“Many of our alumni have asked for this to happen,” Ross said in a statement.

The decision to vote on changing the residence hall name was voted on by the Alabama State trustees earlier this year following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody.

Troy University renamed its Bibb Graves Hall for the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who died earlier this year and grew up near the campus.

In September, The University of Montevallo also voted to rename buildings honoring Graves and Braxton Bragg Comer, who maintained portions of the old plantation system during his time in office.