Residence Hall #3 (Previously Mitchell-Freeman)

Residence Hall #3 (Previously Mitchell-Freeman) was fully renovated and re-opened in 2008 and houses 86 upperlevel students in single/double and double/double suites. In the summer of 2021, Residence Hall #3 recevied additional improvements and upgrades in the rooms, bathrooms, and lounges.  

On March 26, 2022 the Board of Trustees, following research, voted to remove the names of building on campus that were named for individuals who were enslavers.

Freeman Hall opened in 1965 and was named by the Board of Trustees in memory of Dr. Douglas Southall Freeman (1886-1953) in recognition of his service to the University. A 1904 graduate of Richmond College, he served as a University of Richmond Trustee (1925-1950) and Rector (1934-1950). Freeman was the editor of the Richmond News Leader (1915-1949) and the author of Pulitzer Prize-winning, multi-volume biographies of George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Extensive research into his life and work was conducted by the University in 2020. The resulting research report describes his roles at the University of Richmond and his vast body of work as a historian, editor, and commentator. His work focusing on Robert E. Lee and the U.S. Civil War advances the discredited “Lost Cause” view of the Confederacy. The University’s research also documents his public views and writings favoring the eugenics movement and laws against racial mixing; asserting white racial superiority; advocating for segregation and resisting federal studies and reports advocating integration (e.g., the reports of President Truman’s 1947 President’s Committee on Civil Rights and President’s Commission on Higher Education); and advocating for the poll tax in order to deny Black citizens the right to vote.

On February 24, 2021 the Board of Trustees has approved President Cructcher's recommendation to rename Freeman Hall as "Mitchell-Freeman Hall" to honor the life and work of John Mitchell Jr. (1863–1929), a former enslaved person with a complex story, who became the editor of the African American newspaper the Richmond Planet — and some of whose descendants are members of the University of Richmond community. Known as the "Fighting Editor," Mitchell "became one of the most powerful Black voices in late 19th- and early 20th-century publishing," according to the Freeman report. As an anti-lynching advocate, Richmond city council representative before disenfranchisement, leader of the boycott against segregated streetcars in Richmond, and founder of the Mechanic’s Bank, Mitchell consistently challenged white supremacy. His life was not without controversy. He was convicted of bank fraud and was jailed for two weeks before being released; the conviction was ultimately overturned.

A fearless champion of racial justice, Mitchell often challenged Freeman's editorial stances and never hesitated to denounce his racism. On one occasion, for example, Freeman praised the patriotism of African Americans enlisting to fight in World War I, although in a racist manner saying many of them had "the physique of giants" but "the minds of children." While Mitchell seemed to look past some of Freeman's words about African American patriotism, he did shine a spotlight on the hollowness of his praise. "What are we to receive in the way of recognition for this loyalty?" Mitchell wrote. "We have been promised improved housing conditions. Have we secured these conditions? ... We have been told that the segregation laws recently enacted will work out to our betterment. Have we been able to observe naught else but irritation and humiliation on the part of those entrusted with its enforcement?" As Mitchell made clear, Freeman and others like him were hypocritical in praising African Americans for shouldering the burdens of citizenship while denying them its privileges.

We will recount the history of both Freeman and Mitchell at Mitchell-Freeman Hall, documenting Freeman's achievements and dedication to the University, while also openly recognizing his racist beliefs and advocacy for segregation and eugenics. That is part of telling the full and true story. In addition, we will shine a spotlight on how Mitchell did not allow Freeman's mistaken assertions about African Americans and segregation to go unchecked — and how he embodied personally the kind of intellectual and professional achievement that Freeman believed impossible for Black people. This juxtaposition provides a more accurate representation of Freeman and the realities of his time, as well as evidence that there were always critical voices and obvious facts that challenged and contradicted Freeman's positions.

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