Family protests award's demise

Cornelia Phillips Spencer championed higher education opportunities for women and advocated better schooling for children, both black and white.

The residence hall named after her marks Spencer’s numerous contributions to the University. And until last month, a prestigious award bearing her name honored women and their contributions to UNC.

The legacy of the outspoken woman from the Civil War era has become complicated by controversy over her role as a white supremacist.

Chancellor James Moeser recently decided to retire the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award following several months of heated debate, including a campuswide symposium.

“I hope it will move us on from annually debating the merits of Mrs. Spencer herself,” Moeser said Tuesday. “(The award’s retirement) was to protect her and let her rest in peace rather than having an annual event that brought to light what she did and her motives.”

In response, Spencer’s descendents have requested that Moeser reconsider or that he oversee the removal of Spencer’s name from Spencer Residence Hall. The family also wishes to relinquish its ties to UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South if the award remains inactive.

Moeser listed three possible fates for the Bell Award in a letter dated Dec. 3: keeping the award and offering annual historical context, changing the award’s name, or retiring the award.

“In the end, the deciding factor for me was practical,” his letter states. “Some esteemed women on our campus — women who I think could be considered for the Bell Award — were asked whether they would accept it if it were offered. Their answer was ‘no.’”

Charles Love, chairman of the Martha and Spencer Love Foundation and one of Spencer’s descendents, said he believes Moeser failed to explore the options. Love said the decision singles out Spencer, though there are several other storied white supremacists in the University’s history who have not received the same treatment.

“From our point of view, a politically expedient decision was made to retire the Bell Award in an atmosphere of ambivalence about what to do and absent a formal UNC policy on historical revisionism,” he said.

Yonni Chapman, a graduate student who initiated talks on the award last year, said that Moeser made the correct decision: “As much as we do need to honor women, we can’t do that in this day and age by honoring a white supremacist.”

But renaming Spencer Residence Hall would not be the same as the move to retire the award, said Harry Watson, director of the Center for the Study of the American South.

“A building that was named 75 to 200 years ago is a part of our history,” he said. “The name of a building can be a person with all kinds of pluses and minuses. There are people who say an award should not be named for a person with minuses.”

The foundation’s Jan. 1 letter also asked that a recent financial gift intended to restore the James Lee Love house be redirected within the UNC system at the family’s discretion.

“We believe the chancellor has made a mistake,” Love said. “It’s not really about emotion. It’s about principle. I could fully accept retirement of the award if they treated all the awards in the same way.”

Moeser is surprised by the family’s response but stands by his decision. He plans to meet with Spencer’s relatives to resolve any tension.

“I’m disappointed and sad that they’re hurt by this,” Moeser said. “I continue to have a very high regard for Cornelia Phillips Spencer. It’s important to separate this woman from the historical moment in history which creates some problems for African Americans.”

Love said that he looks forward to discussing the issue with Moeser and that he hopes to see a consistent policy established to prevent similar situations.

“There are a lot of historians on campus, students and alumni that have written in disagreement,” Love said. “As long as we have a policy that’s fair and consistent, we’re okay with any decision that is made.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.