Princeton Students Divided Over Racism Protests

The Ivy League school faced a bomb threat that referenced recent demonstrations centered on removing Woodrow Wilson's name from campus buildings

Students gather at the entrance of Nassau Hall at Princeton University, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Princeton, N.J. The students, from a group called the Black Justice League, demand that the school remove the name of former school president and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from programs and buildings over what they said was his racist legacy.

Photographer: Julio Cortez/AP Photo
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On Wednesday, a group of Princeton University students launched an anti-racism protest on campus. At a sit-in inside the office of University President Christopher Eisgruber, the students, part of a group called the Black Justice League, demanded, among other things, that former President Woodrow Wilson’s name be removed from multiple campus buildings because of his racist views. On Thursday evening, Eisgruber agreed to work towards most of the students’ demands, saying he would write to the Board of Trustees to ask about removing Wilson’s name, look into instituting a “cultural competency training” for students, and designate rooms on campus for cultural groups to use.

The same night, a "bomb and firearm threat" that referenced the Justice League’s protest was emailed to a university administrator, University Spokesman Martin Mbugua said in an email to Bloomberg. He added that the threat was deemed not credible by the Public Safety department.