Stanford University to Remove Junipero Serra Name from Buildings, Mall

Stanford University (CA) announced plans Thursday to remove Fr. Junipero Serra’s name from two buildings and a key mall on campus, but will retain the name of the founder of the California mission system on other campus features.  In a release, the university noted that while Serra was the “founder and clearly identified leader of the California mission system, which played a role in the founding of modern California,” the legacy of the Roman Catholic priest includes the “harmful and violent impacts of the mission system on Native Americans, including through forced labor, forced living arrangements and corporal punishment.”