Petition To Change Name Of Several Buildings

Ashley Carter was at Alabama A&M where she talked wit one former student who started a petition to rename a building that is currently named after a former governor and KKK member.

Involved in the investigation.

New details at 5 - a petition to change the names of several college buildings in north alabama is circulating online.

Today, it's getting more attention as similar petitions spread to alabama and auburn.

One building at alabama a and m is named after former governor and kkk member bibb graves.

Students in huntsville have tried to change the name for years.

Waay 31's ashley carter spoke with one former student who started a petition four years ago to get the name changed.

0:01 1:10 ashley looklive: "here in huntsville, bibb graves hall sits on the campus of alabama a&m right behind me.

It's a name that students here in the past have tried to get change and now students across alabama are working to do the same on their campuses."

Pkg dexter lucious, former alabama a&m student: "this is a really good time to do it, i don't think people were listening when i tried."

Dexter lucious had already graduated from alabama a and m when he started this petition in 2016.

He says he didn't like knowing a former klan member was memorialized at a historically black university.

Dexter lucious, former alabama a&m student: "i didn't feel like it was appropriate for a man to just be basically sitting on top of our hill and overseeing our campus and he was a grand wizard, you know that just it didn't sit well."

But lucious says his petition didn't get far....a year later the alabama memorial preservation act was signed into law.

It requies local governments to get the state's permission to move or rename monuments older than 40 years.

But the law is not stopping college students now from trying.

Former students at the university of north alabama took part in a protest to rename the bibb graves building on their campus.

Trinda owens, former una student: "every school in alabama pretty much has a building with bibb graves name, that doesn't make it right just because everybody's doing it.

Somebody has to take a stand and say ok you know what, we care about our students enough, we care about your dollars enough to look at changing it's name.

Trinda owens attended the university of north alabama in the 80's.

She said it's not easy to see the university still has a building named after graves trinda owens, former una student: "me as a black student, i had classes here, to pass by a building, knowing that i'm giving my money to this university, to pass by a university that was named after ku klux klansman how do you think that made me feel."

Owens and lucious both say they are happy to see current college students taking on the fight to rename the buildings.

They say hopefully this time....things will change.

Trinda owens, former una student: "to look and it's 2020, and we're still dealing and the university is talking about paperwork, i just think it's a problem with all these years how come we couldn't get the paperwork done."

Dexter lucious, former alabama a&m student: "i'm really hopeful that they'll be open and really engage in an honest way with the real intent of listen to enact change."

In hsv ashley c waay 31 news we reached out to alabama a and m to see if renaming the building is something they will consider talking about.

We will let