Simple questions sometimes have difficult answers and monumental consequences.  We are currently experiencing backlash from the current administration in Washington, D.C., regarding the place of DEI values in celebrating our nation's history.  This talk will remind us of why there was nationwide questioning in the 2010s about statues and memorial naming.  The focus is on the project to rename buildings at SUNY New Paltz.  We will consider the values at the heart of the project and the historical practices of researching both the local Huguenot pioneers and the reasons for memorializing them.  On this 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it is fitting to consider who our local heroes are and how best to remember them.

Reynolds Scott-Childress teaches history at SUNY New Paltz and the Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.  His work focuses on the categories and practices of race and class in US history.