COLLEGE STATION, TX — Petitions on whether to keep or remove the Lawrence Sullivan "Sully" Ross statue on the Texas A&M University campus are gaining signatures from A&M students.
A petition to remove the Ross statue from the campus, named "It's time to remove the Sully statue," has gained almost 9,000 signatures in 3 days.
"While Sully made strong contributions to Texas A&M, he served as a Confederate General, saw Blacks as inferior, did not support integration, and was against woman's suffrage. It's long overdue for the statue to be removed," the petition creators said. "The Aggie community needs to be more inclusive."
"Ross symbolizes a period of time at Texas A&M when Black students would not be allowed to walk on our campus," the creators said.
A counter petition named "Keep the statue of Governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross in front of the Academic building" was created yesterday and has over 4,000 signatures.
"Recently, an online petition has been circulating regarding the removal of the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross," the counter petition creator states. "Texas A&M prides itself in its esteemed traditions and history, and Sully represents both," the creator said, providing a background on Ross. "Texas A&M university probably would not have survived without this great man, and it is sickening to think the very school he helped established is petitioning to remove his humble statue."
Lawrence Sullivan “Sul” Ross was the president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas from 1891-1898.
It is the oldest sculpture on campus, according to Texas A&M Traditions.
