By Donald Gilpin
Princeton Theological Seminary’s (PTS) chapel no longer bears the name of slaveholder and anti-abolitionist Samuel Miller, following a unanimous vote by the seminary’s board of trustees last Tuesday, January 25.
The seminary trustees also voted to establish a task force to develop guiding principles “for naming, renaming, and the conferring of honor on all other physical sites and objects related to the seminary.”
The trustees’ action followed a January 18 demonstration led by the Association of Black Seminarians (ABS) and attended by more than 100 students and other supporters. Demonstrators called for removal of Miller’s name from the chapel and establishment of a renaming process for all buildings on campus named after people associated with slavery. The protestors stated that they would no longer worship at the chapel unless Miller’s name was removed.
“This decision to disassociate the name Samuel Miller from the chapel is another step in Princeton Theological Seminary’s earnest commitment to greater equity, including reformation and repair of yesterday’s wrongs,” the trustees’ announcement stated.
In their announcement, the trustees also seemed to acknowledge and appreciate the input from the voices that had spoken up to urge positive reforms. The statement continued, “The board of trustees wishes to thank the student community in general and especially the Association of Black Seminarians, as well as the faculty and committed alums, for their thoughtful and spirited engagement over the years in seeking a more just and faithful witness of the seminary’s mission.”
The ABS also issued a statement applauding the trustees’ decision and claiming that it was “a result of the efforts led by ABS in partnership with other student organizations.” On the day after the trustees’ decision, ABS held a follow-up rally to respond to the decision and to physically remove the “Miller” sign from the chapel. Speakers praised the trustees’ decision, and their responsiveness to the students’ demands, emphasizing the crucial role of student activism.
Many alumni, community members, clergy, and faculty supported the ABS initiative, with a number of letters to seminary trustees and administration and about 300 signatures on a petition. Groups in alliance with the ABS included the Antiracist Coalition, Asian Association of Princeton Theological Seminary, En Conjunto, the Korean Student Association, the Women’s Center, Seminarians for Peace and Justice, the Lutheran Group, and the Gender and Sexuality Association for Seminarians.
In a January 25 letter to the seminary community, PTS President M. Craig Barnes also applauded the trustees’ decision, describing the chapel as “the spiritual heart of our community” and affirming that “its welcome must be as wide and healing as God’s love for us.” He wrote that the decision was “part of their commitment to the ongoing work of confession and repentance that was part of the historical audit on slavery. As a community, we are committed not only to keeping the legacy of our history before us, but also to continuing to make steps toward repair.”
In his statement Barnes also saluted the role of student voices in helping to bring about the decision. “The board joins me in being grateful for the prophetic voices of our students, especially the leadership of the Association of Black Seminarians (ABS),” he wrote. “It has been a moving testimony of covenant community to see how diverse students united to lament the pain of having to worship in a chapel named for a slaveholder, opponent of abolitionism, and advocate for the American Colonization Society, which sought to send freed Blacks to Africa.”
Since the fall of 2019 when PTS, in response to its historical audit on slavery, pledged to spend $27 million for scholarships and other initiatives in addressing its past ties to slavery, the seminary has dedicated 35 full scholarships to descendants of the enslaved and those from historically underrepresented groups; named the seminary library for Presbyterian minister and abolitionist Theodore Sedgwick Wright, the first African American graduate of PTS; upgraded resources and appointed the first full-time director for the Betsey Stockton Center for Black Church Studies; and incorporated the historical audit into the first year seminary curriculum to ensure that members of the community are taught this history.
The ABS statement concluded, “It is with great anticipation the community looks to the near future, as the renaming task force is established. We hope that this decision serves as a catalyst for more action steps in the seminary’s journey of repentance and reconciliation.”