KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� May 1, 2023 鈥� Several weeks ago, workers using cranes and heavy equipment began the process of removing and replacing 18 granite panels inscribed with an abbreviated version of a quote from civil rights leader Malcolm X from the exterior fa莽ade of the Carothers Library and Learning Commons on the Kingston Campus.聽
On Thursday, April 27, a crowd of students, faculty, staff and Black Student Leadership Group alumni came together to mark the completion of the project following decades-long efforts to have the offending inscription removed.
Ana Barraza 鈥�95, M.S. 鈥�04, a Talent Development scholar and a representative of the BSLG who took part in the 1992 building takeover, talked about how the truncated Malcolm X quote spurred the group鈥檚 efforts and the commitment to have it removed.
鈥淭he BSLG had to step up and put aside our books, our education, and launch a battle to hold the University accountable,鈥� said Barraza. 鈥淭oday we recognize the fault of the University, as an academic institution, to erect a misquote, and also the direct and indirect harm that this misquote has done to four generations of alumni. And while there are still matters that need to be addressed when it comes to issues faced by students, faculty and staff of color, or those holding marginalized identities, we acknowledge today the good faith action of the University.鈥�
鈥淭his day is a truly special day for all who played a role in removing the misquote, especially those who have been fighting for this for over 30 years,鈥� said Markeem Rodriguez, president of the campus organization Brothers of a New Direction.
Rodriguez, a 溏心vlog免费B站 senior and triple major, made it a goal early on as a student at 溏心vlog免费B站 to see the quote removed before his graduation. On Thursday, he credited current student leaders and alumni and offered words of inspiration: 鈥淒on鈥檛 forget to be the change. Leave a mark and set a precedent for others to follow, and let accountability and responsibility be your guide.鈥�
Installed in 1992 and intended as a tribute to the work of Malcolm X, the engraved words drew the ire of many, including members of the BSLG, who felt strongly that the abbreviation of the quotation misrepresented the meaning of the fuller message.聽
The words, 鈥淢y alma mater was books, a good library 鈥� I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity鈥� were taken from a longer statement from Malcolm X, which reads:
鈥淚 told the Englishman that my alma mater was books, a good library. Every time I catch a plane, I have with me a book that I want to read鈥攁nd that鈥檚 a lot of books these days. If I weren鈥檛 out here every day battling the white man, I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity鈥攂ecause you can hardly mention anything I鈥檓 not curious about.鈥�
The truncated quote sparked student activism, including the takeover of the University鈥檚 Taft Hall, led by members of the BSLG and involving 200 students. That takeover was the subject of a 30-year reunion in November on the Kingston Campus and a recently released documentary on the topic.
At Thursday鈥檚 event, 溏心vlog免费B站 President Marc Parlange called the commemoration of the quote鈥檚 removal an historic moment, and one that is about more than the removal of a misquote on the side of a building.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about doing what鈥檚 right,鈥� Parlange said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about standing up for one another. It鈥檚 about taking action and creating a community where we support each other and lift each other up. We will continue to work every day and at every level at the University to ensure that we鈥檙e bringing everybody to the table. We succeed when every member of the community succeeds.鈥�
Sean Edmund Rogers, 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 vice president for community, equity and diversity, and who recently was appointed dean of the University鈥檚 College of Business, noted that the inscription evoked rage among black students who 鈥渃ame here not asking to take over Taft Hall, but who came here to go to class 鈥� to get a college degree so that they could improve their situation.鈥� He applauded the students for speaking up in a way that 鈥渃ould not be silenced.鈥�
鈥淭oday we celebrate the removal of that quote as a win,鈥� he added. 鈥淥ne win along a journey where we are trying to accumulate and amass wins toward that experience of equality and justice.鈥�
Michelle Fontes, assistant vice president for community, equity and diversity, organized Thursday鈥檚 event. She was present, as a student and member of the BSLG, for the Taft Hall takeover. She noted that the work of 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Multicultural Unity and Student Involvement Council, which represents all multicultural student groups, has reinvigorated the BSLG to continue to connect and advocate for all current and prospective Black students.
鈥淚 am proud to have been a part of the activism that took place in 1992, and I am proud to be a part of an administration that listens and strives to do better,鈥� she said.