*The University of Wisconsin is getting rid of the 70-ton boulder from its Madison campus at the request of Black students who view the rock as a symbol of racism.
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 Crowder Chamberlin, a geologist who worked as university president from 1887 to 1892.
According to ABC News, Chamberlain Rock was referred to in the 1920’s, by a derogatory term for black people.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the term “n***erhead” was commonly used in that era to describe any large dark rock. The Black Student Union called for the rock to be removed last summer, saying it represents the campus’ racist past.
“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.
Watch its removal below:
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