UNB to strip Ludlow’s name from law building

FREDERICTON of governors at the University of New Brunswick voted Tuesday to strip George Duncan Ludlow’s name from the school’s law faculty building in Fredericton because of his connections to slavery and the abuse of Indigenous people.

Crews removed the name within 30 minutes of the vote, which also recommended installing a permanent display that explores Ludlow’s history and explain why his name was removed.

Ludlow was a loyalist from New York who became New Brunswick’s first chief justice in the 1780s. He was one of the last judges in the British Empire to uphold the legality of slavery.

He was also a member of the board of directors for the Sussex Vale Indian Day School, which contracted out First Nations children as indentured servants.

The UNB Student Union and the Law Students’ Society both pressured the school to have Ludlow’s name removed.

The student union also sought to have the name removed from all maps and university literature, and lobbied for a plaque to be created to contextualize Ludlow’s place in New Brunswick’s history.

UNB president Paul Mazerolle said a working group that studied the issue has recommended holding an educational event or events to share what was learned through its review and encourage further study of African-Canadian and Indigenous history in New Brunswick.

“Obviously lots of people won’t agree with this decision and lots of people are heartened by this decision,” Mazerolle said Tuesday. “Maybe in time more and more people will understand and respect the decision we’ve made.”

In its 40-page report, the working group said it heard from people who wanted the name removed, along with a “smaller number” who supported keeping it.

“Notably, several current law students expressed feelings of shame, embarrassment and re-victimization when entering the Faculty of Law with Ludlow’s name prominently displayed above the main entrance,” the report states.

“Some were against removing or changing names and some feel a sentimental attachment to the name, without connecting it to the man himself.”