Princeton to Name Two Campus Spaces in Honor of Slaves

Five months after the release of sweeping research into its deep historical connections with slavery, Princeton University announced on Tuesday that it would name two prominent spaces in honor of enslaved people who lived or worked on its campus.

Both spaces will be the first such commemorations on a campus dotted with statues and other physical markers honoring slaveholders, a university spokesman confirmed.

A publicly accessible garden between the university’s main library and the main commercial street of the town of Princeton will be named for Betsey Stockton, an enslaved woman born around 1798 who worked in the home one of Princeton’s early presidents, became a missionary in what is now Hawaii and later helped found the town of Princeton’s only public school for African-American children.