Missouri curators reject interpretive Thomas Jefferson sign

The University of Missouri Board of Curators has rejected a proposal to add contextual information near a statue of Thomas Jefferson on the Columbia campus.

The board voted 7-1 Thursday to disregard a task force recommendation to add the information about the country’s third president, in response to a push last year by Black students and organizations who wanted the statue removed because Jefferson owned slaves.

The board also rejected a proposal add a Legacy Walk on campus to acknowledge the role Black people played in building the university, The Columbia Daily Tribune reported.

A task force appointed by University of Missouri System President and Missouri Chancellor Mun Choi worked for months to develop the recommendations.

The task force recommended a sign that would detail Jefferson’s accomplishments but also note that he owned slaves and fathered children with at least one of them. A resolution to add a QR — or quick response — code near the statue that would have linked cellphone users to other resources also was rejected.

Curators said a brief sign would not provide adequate context for Jefferson’s life.

“It’s problematic to fit Thomas Jefferson onto a 300-word wayside sign,” Curator Jeff Layman said.

Curator Darryl Chatman, who is Black, acknowledged the statue might continue to trouble Black students and he encouraged them to take advantage of counseling services.

The proposed MU Legacy Walk would have been a physical walk combined with a digital app to discuss many Black people important to the university’s history, such as Lloyd Gaines, who sued to be admitted to the law school.

There was little discussion about the Legacy Walk but Chatman said the board felt the proposal exceeded the task force’s mandate. The board did approve adding a fountain as a place of reflection.

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