Art Protest of Winthrop U Building Named for Racist

Authorities are investigating the hanging of numerous black stockings stuffed with dirt outside Tillman Hall at Winthrop University, The Herald Online reported. Images of the items spread on social media (right). The hall is named for Benjamin Tillman, a South Carolina politician whose bigotry extended to participating in lynchings. A group called Association of Artists for Change contacted The Charlotte Observer to take responsibility for the display, which it said was “protest art” meant to inspire discussion of the building's name.