BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - A historic sign noting Bowling Green was the Confederate state capital of Kentucky has been removed and placed into storage following discussions at Western Kentucky University about how history should be remembered, officials said.
University President Timothy Caboni said in an email to faculty and staff that the move was spurred by perennial concerns about the marker’s placement on campus and the current national racial reckoning sparked by recent police killings of Black Americans, the Daily News reported. The move comes as the school also reexamines the names of buildings and academic units on campus.
Western Kentucky University spokesman Bob Skipper said the school contacted the Kentucky Historical Society on behalf of students who said the marker made them feel uncomfortable. The Historical Society placed the sign into storage, he said.
The marker was placed on U.S. 68 when it was near campus and heavily traveled by people going downtown, Caboni said. Now, the road is part of the campus, so the sign was not in historical context, Caboni said. The sign will remain in storage until a more appropriate location can be found, he said.
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