BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Responding to pressure from the Trump Administration, the Army has agreed to shelve plans to rename Fort Slavery Was Cool, an Army post located just outside of Birmingham.
“While the goal of Army leadership was well intentioned,” said Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in a statement, “the fact is that Fort Slavery Was Cool contributed to many successful military operations in American history, such as rounding up Japanese Americans for internment during World War II and serving as a staging area for Homeland Security troops just this past week.”
The small post, which is primarily used by the Army to store ridiculously outdated equipment, originally got its name in the early 1920s, when Army leaders allowed local historians who advocated the Civil War “Lost Cause” narrative to sponsor a write-in contest for suggestions. After several weeks of tallying the results, “Slavery was cool” was the clear winner. Since the 1960s, however, some have suggested the post’s name might possibly be just a skoch racist.
