Naming Commission

Naming Commission
Name	Naming Commission
Formed	2021
Jurisdiction	United States
Purpose	Review of commemorative items with Confederate associations
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Chair	civilian

Naming Commission

The Naming Commission was an independent federal panel created to review commemorative symbols, monuments, and dedications associated with Confederate figures across installations such as Fort Bragg, Langley Air Force Base, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and other sites managed by Department of Defense components; it worked alongside entities including the United States Congress, Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force and the General Services Administration to evaluate renaming consistent with statutes like the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 and engage stakeholders such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, NAACP, American Historical Association and local governments.

Background and purpose

The panel arose from debates following events including the Charlottesville car attack and nationwide protests associated with George Floyd's death, during which activists, lawmakers, historians, and advocacy groups such as Black Lives Matter, Southern Poverty Law Center, Civil Rights Movement organizations, and congressional members like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Emanuel Cleaver pressed for reassessment of symbols tied to the Confederacy and white supremacy; the commission's purpose was to recommend actions aligned with legal authorities found in legislation from committees such as the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee and guided by scholarship from institutions including Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Archives, and universities like Harvard University, Yale University, Howard University.

Formation and membership

Established through provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act processes, the commission included members appointed by the Secretary of Defense, congressional leaders like the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader, and ex officio representatives from services including the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force; appointees came from diverse backgrounds such as historians connected to American Historical Association, legal scholars from Georgetown University Law Center, museum professionals from the Smithsonian Institution, and civil rights advocates linked to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Mandate and criteria

The commission's mandate required systematic review of names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia associated with Confederate leaders, including those honored on installations like Fort Hood and Fort Benning; criteria for recommendations drew on precedents from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, guidelines from the National Historic Preservation Act, ethical frameworks promoted by the American Anthropological Association, and standards used by institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and National Gallery of Art when reassessing commemorative naming and iconography.

Recommendations and actions

The panel issued a report recommending renaming installations, statues, and streets, advising entities like the Army Secretary, Navy Secretary, Air Force Secretary, and the General Services Administration to remove memorials and update maps, signs and historical materials; specific recommended changes affected facilities linked to figures such as those commemorated at Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, Joint Base Lewis–McChord and others, and the commission proposed interim measures like contextualization in collaboration with partners including the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Implementation and impact

Implementation proceeded through directives from service secretaries, actions by installation commanders, and administrative steps involving the Federal Highway Administration for road naming and the United States Postal Service for memorial recognitions; resulting changes influenced academic curricula at institutions such as West Point, United States Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy, sparked reinterpretations in museums like the National Museum of American History, and prompted reinterpretive exhibits developed with scholars from Columbia University, Princeton University, University of Virginia, and Duke University.

Controversies and criticism

Critics included political figures like Senator Ted Cruz and commentators associated with outlets such as Fox News, arguing that removals constituted erasure of heritage and citing historical interpretations advanced by historians linked to University of Mississippi and Auburn University; opponents invoked legal challenges referencing property law scholars from Stanford Law School and constitutional claims discussed by experts at University of Chicago Law School, while proponents such as Representative Cori Bush and advocacy groups including Color of Change argued removals addressed systemic racism and aligned with recommendations from the Equal Justice Initiative and civil rights historians at Howard University.

Legacy and subsequent developments

The commission's work influenced subsequent policymaking in legislative bodies like the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, inspired similar reviews in states such as Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and municipalities including Richmond, Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina, and prompted academic studies published through presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Princeton University Press; its legacy intersects with ongoing debates involving cultural institutions like the American Civil Liberties Union, preservationists at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and scholarly organizations including the Organization of American Historians.

Category:United States federal commissions