WACO, TX — In June of 2020, the Baylor University Board of Regents released a statement explaining that the university was going to acknowledge its racial past and talk about the hard topics.
That report is set to be released Tuesday, March 23.
The Board of Regents were partnered with a historical commission made of 26 members including students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Seventeen of the commission's 26 members represent ethnically diverse communities.
Since June, the Board of Regents have been releasing conversation reports, "Perspectives of History," the third and final report will be released Monday.
Lexi Bogney, a member on the historical commission, is a senior and president of the student NAACP chapter on campus.
She spent many months working and researching her university's past.
"As a black woman you kind of grow up and you hear, kind of the stories from your family, that a lot of the places that you enter as you grow up weren't really made for you and designated for you," Bogney said.
Because of this notion, she wanted to make sure Baylor's past wasn't repeating itself.
She hoped to shine a light on the racial narrative that the university is ultimately based on.
"I never would have thought I'd be involved in something on kind of acknowledging that history and then making sure that we're moving forward to remedy things and change things," Bogney said.
Topics about Baylor's Founders and their ties to owning enslaved people, along with the campuses past Confederacy ties will be mentioned in the report.
"Knowing that Baylor's original campus was built by slaves was something that needed to be acknowledged and addressed," Bogney said.
This report is also meant to highlight those who may have been forgotten, like the first Black graduates or first Black professors and faculty.
Bogney said this report is about knowledge and says she isn't looking to change the past, but make sure the future is held to higher standards.
"When it comes to change it doesn't always mean changing the name or removing statues or things like that," Bogney said. "It just means to create a more inclusive space for students on campus."
Bogney is excited for the report to finally be released and hope those reading take this into consideration.
"Don't look at it as we're taking away things or we're trying to change Baylor," Bogney said. "We're trying to create a more diverse and inclusive space where all students feel comfortable, and alumni can come back and be proud of the campus and how it's evolved."
Baylor University plans to comment tomorrow after the official report is set to be released Tuesday afternoon.
