A petition on Change.org has been going around social media, pushing for a Northern Michigan University monument relic that is believed to tied to racism to be removed.

The organizer, named ‘John Doe,’ set up the petition to have the Carillon Towers to be removed from campus property.

The Carillon Towers

According to the petition, the story behind the towers was that they were funded by John McGoff, a newspaper proprietor who was pushing for a pro-apartheid movement. McGoff was rumored to be an adamant supporter of South Africa’s white supremacist apartheid/government.

“In 1978, McGoff donated $300,000 to Northern Michigan University, which the school accepted and used to create the McGoff Distinguished Lecture Series,” Doe said in the petition. “….but not without significant controversy and protests from students and faculty.”

Years prior, Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Eli Wiesel declined an invitation to speak on campus due to McGoff’a financial investment with the school.

In the towers’ set, a plaque beside the towers bears the name of ‘Mr. and Mrs. John P. McGoff’ on it there.

The organizer said that the towers has to be removed due to the current issues surrounding the push for racial equality and justice following the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

With more than 500 signatures in plac already, if you want to read the full story on the petition and/or want to sign it altogether, click here for the link.

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