University Of Wisconsin Takes Action On 70-Ton ‘Racist’ Boulder At The Request Of Minority Students
A 70-ton boulder was removed from the University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus at the demand of minority students who saw the rock as a symbol of racism since it was referred to by a racial slur.
In a 1925 article in the Wisconsin State Journal, Chamberlin Rock, which is named for Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, a 19th-century geologist and former university president, was referred to as a “n—–head” rock.
Minority students have said the rock symbolizes a background of discrimination. During the 1920s, the derogatory name was commonly used for any giant, dark rock.
According to the publication, university historians have discovered no other instance of the word being used, but they do know that the Ku Klux Klan was active on campus at the time.
Chamberlin Rock was authorized for removal by University Chancellor Rebecca Blank in January, but it required approval from the Wisconsin Historical Society since it was within 15 feet of a Native American grave site.
The huge boulder, which is an unique relic of a pre-Cambrian period glacial erratic estimated to be over 2 billion years old, will be relocated to university-owned property southeast of Madison near Lake Kegonsa, where it will be utilized for educational purposes.
🚨#BREAKING : University of Wisconsin removes Chamberlin Rock, seen as sign of racism
📌#Wisconsin I #USA
The University of Wisconsin removed a large 70 ton boulder from its Madison campus on Friday at the request of minority students who view the rock as a symbol of racism pic.twitter.com/qFHTZCn8tW
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) August 7, 2021
“Removing the rock as a monument in a prominent location prevents further harm to our community while preserving the rock’s educational research value for our current and future students,” Gary Brown, director of campus planning and landscape architecture, told the Wisconsin State Journal.
When ice receded from the state approximately 12,000 years ago, glaciers hauled the rock all the way from Canada and dumped it on Observatory Hill along with billions of tons of other debris.
It was originally believed to weigh up to 70 tons, but new measurements reveal that it now weighs 42 tons.
According to school spokesperson Meredith McGlone, the institution intends to install a plaque in Chamberlin Hall to commemorate the former university president.
The Black Student Union was in the forefront of the campaign to get the rock removed last summer. Crews hoisted it onto a flatbed truck with a crane on Friday morning, at a cost of $50,000, which was paid by private donors.
Juliana Bennett, a senior and a Madison City Council representative, said the removal of the boulder was a little step to a more inclusive campus.
“This moment is about the students, past and present, that relentlessly advocated for the removal of this racist monument,” she said. “Now is a moment for all of us BIPOC students to breathe a sigh of relief, to be proud of our endurance, and to begin healing.”
One local resident said he was feeling positive about the removal of the boulder.
“It’s not the rock’s fault that it got that terrible and unfortunate nickname,” he said. “But the fact that it’s … being moved shows that the world is getting a little better today.”
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