University withdraws name of racist botanist from arboretum

[ad_1]

ST. PIERRE, Minn.

A private college in Minnesota has renamed its arboretum that originally honored an 18th-century Swiss botanist who was lambasted for promoting a racist scientific theory, school officials said Tuesday.

The popular green space of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, located about 110 kilometers south of the Twin Cities, has been known as the Linnaeus Arboretum since 1988. He recognized Carl Linnaeus, who popularized the classification system for living beings and divided them into animal, plant and mineral kingdoms.

Recently, however, Linnaeus has been criticized for his 18th century book Systema Naturae, in which he classified four varieties of humans, largely based on skin color and geography, which have become the basis of scientific racism. .

Gustavus has always sought to build an inclusive and just community, said Mark Anderson, chair of the college board. In recent years, and especially since the murder of George Floyd, we have stepped up our efforts to pay attention to under-represented voices and discovered how painful Linnaeus name and legacy is for some of our students and visitors.

The 120-acre land which includes more than a dozen formal gardens and restored natural spaces has been renamed the Arboretum of Gustavus Adolphus College.

[ad_2]