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The University of Wisconsin removed a controversial rock from its Madison campus on Friday after the Black Student Union and other activists opposed its description nearly 100 years ago with racial slurs.
Chamberlin Rock, which rests atop Observatory Hill, is named after 19th-century geologist and former university president Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, whose work focused on glacial deposits, according to a biography published on the university website.
But it was a rock journalist’s reference in a nearly century-old Wisconsin State Journal article that prompted its removal.
Teams are working to remove Chamberlin Rock from Observatory Hill on the UW-Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, August 6, 2021. The University of Wisconsin is removing the 70-ton rock from its Madison campus at the request of minority students who regard the rock as a symbol of racism. Chamberlin Rock, at the top of Observatory Hill, is named after Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, geologist and former university president. (Kayla Wolf / Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
In October 1925, the university had the rock excavated and placed it prominently on top of the hill to honor Chamberlin, who died in Chicago three years later. The rock was a rare specimen believed to be over 2 billion years old, and before it settled on Observatory Hill, only about a foot and a half was visible above ground, according to the article. It was believed to have been transported by glaciers from Canada to Wisconsin.
THE ABOLITIONIST TEACHING NETWORK, AN EXTREME LEFT GROUP CITED BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, HAS DEEP LINKS IN THE AMERICAN ACADEMY
In the 1920s, a slang term used to describe large dark rocks included the N word, and it appears in the cover of the rock installation.
University researchers did not uncover other cases in the press where the rock was mentioned with this word, but they did say that the Ku Klux Klan was active on campus at the time of the rock’s unveiling, according to a report. from the same newspaper published earlier this week. .
A flatbed trailer pulls away from Observatory Hill with Chamberlin Rock in tow in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday, August 6, 2021. The University of Wisconsin is removing the 70-ton rock from its Madison campus at the request of minority students who see the rock as a symbol of racism. Chamberlin Rock, atop Observatory Hill, is named after Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, geologist and former university president. (Kayla Wolf / Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
Juliana Bennett, senior and campus representative to Madison City Council, said the rock removal was a small step towards a more inclusive school.
“This moment is about the students, past and present, who have advocated tirelessly for the removal of this racist monument,” she told The Associated Press. “Now is the time for all of us BIPOC students to breathe a sigh of relief, to be proud of our endurance and to begin to heal. “
University Chancellor Rebecca Blank approved the removal of Chamberlin Rock in January, but the school also needed approval from the Wisconsin Historical Society, as the rock was only 15 feet from a location. Native American burial place.
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Chamberlin will get a new plaque in a building already named after him, and the boulder will find a new home near Kegonsa Lake on other land owned by the university.
Student groups had also called for a statue of Abraham Lincoln to be removed from campus – but university leaders rejected the request.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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