UA removes portrait of Confederate general with ties to the Ku Klux Klan

ABC News WBMA-TV, Alabama/December 18, 2015

By Ainsley Allison

Tuscaloosa, Alabama — A portrait of John Tyler Morgan no longer hangs in the building named for him at the University of Alabama, ABC 33/40 has learned.

Morgan was a Confederate general and senator. He also had ties to the Ku Klux Klan. The portrait of Morgan, which was part of a larger collection, was removed from Morgan Hall Friday.

A group of students has been pushing for more diversity at UA. They call their campaign "We are Done UA." They pushed for the portrait's removal. They are also pushing for the building to be renamed.

The portrait was part of the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art.

The University accepted it 2008, according to Deborah Lane, Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications, The University of Alabama. Lane said the portrait will now reside in the university's Hoole Special Collections Library, housed in Mary Harmon Bryant Hall. She added the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English want to use the area where the portrait was located in ways that are more relevant and current. ABC 33/40 confirmed new artwork will be installed by early January, and the works will be rotated periodically.

Read UA's full statement below:

"Works from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art will be exhibited in the foyer of Morgan Hall, located on the UA campus. When the University accepted the collection in 2008, we committed to make the art accessible to the public and to exhibit the works on campus and use them for educational purposes. The large wall space in the foyer of Morgan Hall provides an appropriate campus venue for extended display of works from the collection. The historic portrait of John Tyler Morgan will reside in the University's Hoole Special Collections Library.

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Olin selected the area, in conjunction with a request from the Department of English to use the area in ways that are more relevant and current to their academic discipline. Artwork will be installed by early January, and works will be rotated periodically."

-Deborah Lane, Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications, The University of Alabama.

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