The John Witherspoon name could be called into question following protests about Woodrow Wilson's racist history.
PRINCETON - Recent student protests citing Woodrow Wilson's racist legacy and calling for his name to be removed from Princeton University could raise similar questions among residents in the town itself.
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said Monday evening that a reporter from the Princeton Packet had asked her about the similar John Witherspoon name - which is attached in various ways to the town and which pays homage to a founding father who owned slaves in the late 1700's.
However, she said the idea of the potential similar problems associated with the Witherspoon name around Princeton had not occurred to her before the question was posed Monday.
"The proposal to change the name came from the Princeton Packet," Lempert said, referencing a newspaper in town.
The name "Witherspoon" is connected to a street, a restaurant, a school and other fixtures in the town of Princeton.
The question of Witherspoon's name is not one that residents have raised with the town, Lempert said.
But it's conceivable that the name would be called into question following a protest led by Princeton University students last week regarding - in part - the Wilson name.
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Protesters argued that Wilson had a "racist legacy," and called for his name to be removed from anything associated with the campus, including the "Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs."
Students also protested to have the school create mandatory cultural competency training and open a space for black students.
Protesters staged a 32-hour sit-in inside University President Christopher Eisgruber's office Wednesday afternoon and Thursday and met with the president Thursday evening.
Eisgruber conceded to some changes and on Sunday sent out a campus-wide letter stating that he had spoken with members of the Board of Trustees regarding the Wilson name change.
The board agreed to form a committee to look into Wilson and consider changing the name of the graduate school.
Lempert did call the protests "brave" and said that students, "Araised consciousness of people all over the country,"
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.