UC Santa Cruz has announced that it will remove historic bells from the “Spanish Missions” after members of the community called them offensive.
According to a report by Campus Reform, the University of California, Santa Cruz, will remove a major historical artifact from campus. The reason? Many in the UC Santa Cruz community argued that the artifact is offensive.
The “Spanish Mission” bells were used between 1769 and 1833 to highlight the path of the 21 California Missions, which were constructed to evangelize Native Americans.
Now, the school views these bells as symbols of past oppression. The university released a statement last week announcing that the bells would be removed from campus.
Valentin Lopez, chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, encouraged the university to remove the bells. “These bells are deeply painful symbols that celebrate the destruction, domination and erasure of our people,” Lopez said in a comment. “They are constant reminders of the disrespect our tribe faces to this day.”
Sarah Latham, UC Santa Cruz’s vice chancellor for Business and Administrative Services, said that the students were the catalyst behind the decision to remove the bells. “Val brought forth concerns to us about the symbolism of the bell. He spoke of the historical injustices and oppression that the bell represents to the Amah Mutsun and indigenous populations. It was such a compelling statement of impact and I am pleased we have been able to work in partnership with them on the removal. Our students have also given voice to the need to remove the bell,” Latham said.
The bells will be removed from campus on Friday after a short ceremony that will address their history.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more campus updates.