Un-Boalting UC Berkeley

Re “UC Berkeley acts to end a racist legacy, drop Boalt label,” Nov. 14, and “College confronts a racist legacy,” Nov. 12

One of your articles describes how UC Berkeley law lecturer Charles Reichman “kicked off the furor” over the appalling vitriol and racism of 19th century lawyer John Henry Boalt against Chinese immigrants. Reichman said he found it strange to walk into classes in Berkeley’s Boalt Hall that were full of Asian American students.

It seems to me that “Boalt” alumni and students consist of many people of Chinese ancestry who have used his family legacy to become successful, directly making his hatred null and void in the best possible way.

The university should have kept Boalt’s name. Having so many Asian students taking law classes in his building seems like the perfect repudiation of Boalt’s terrible views. Jane Diamond

Sherman Oaks

Because it has come to light that the man who helped finance UC Berkeley’s first law school held an extreme prejudice, the university has decided to change the name of Boalt Hall. Similarly, the founder of Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco behaved egregiously toward American Indians.

By today’s standards, Boalt and Hastings were unacceptably hateful. However, changing the names of institutions and removing statues accomplish nothing.

Rather than erasing history, we should congratulate ourselves for evolving into an increasingly inclusive society and leave past reminders in place as teaching tools. Kathleen Robertson

Orinda, Calif.

President Trump’s antiimmigrant rants sound similar to Boalt’s anti-Chinese prejudice. I guess hate does not change. Robert Dean

Thousand Oaks