CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) – Hundreds gathered on the University of Virginia’s grounds on the 4th of July to support former university president Jim Ryan and protest his resignation.
“I was furious. I was frustrated.” “Those threats are unacceptable. And we’ve got to fight back.”
State Democrats have called the forced resignation a federal overreach, following months of a Department of Justice investigation into UVA’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Some protesters feel it sets a dangerous precedent.
“I think with the resignation of Jim Ryan, it is sending a message from the White House that we do not have free liberal education, starting with UVA, one of the best institutions in the nation. And it’s major federal overreach, in my opinion,” one protester said.
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“We’re not all coming from the same point of view, but that’s sort of in line with this whole idea of some diversity. We all stand behind the University of Virginia,” another protester said.
The folks at the protest wanted their voices, and others like them, heard.
“Now is the time not for people to keep their heads down and try to placate people and keep everybody happy. Now’s the time for people to sort of en masse, be like, no, this is not acceptable.”
It’s Thomas Jefferson’s University, and protestors believed these are his ideals.
“It’s just expanding the ideals that weren’t perfectly put in place before. From the so-called Founding Fathers to now, it was a beautiful ideal that has never been realized.”
Ryan will return to the university in a new role as a law professor.
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