A ‘racist’ 42-ton boulder said to be two billion years old, was removed from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus this weekend.
The UW Black Student Union raised money to remove the Chamberlin Rock over the ‘racist’ history behind its name over a 1925 newspaper headline.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the boulder was once referred to as a “n*****head” – University historians did not find any other time this term was used to describe the boulder.
WKOW reported:
According to a news release from UW spokesperson Meredith McGlone, Chamberlin Rock is a two-billion year-old glacial erratic, rare in nature. It’s named after Thomas Chamberlin, a geologist who worked as university president from 1887 to 1892.
However, the rock was known by a racial slur for several years after it was unearthed and installed. The UW Black Student Union led the way for removing the rock from campus, saying it had caused harm to the Black community over the years.
“Removing the rock as a monument in a prominent location prevents further harm to our community while preserving the rock’s educational and research value for current and future scholars. The rock will be placed on university-owned land southeast of Madison near Lake Kegonsa,” McGlone said in the release.
The boulder was removed on Friday.
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