https://www.wiscnews.com/news/state-and-regional/redefining-legacy-a-historic-boulders-controversial-history-at-uw-madison/article_45eaff0a-2f16-51be-8c6d-0f2cefa749a5.html
Officially, the boulder would come to be named “Chamberlin Rock” after Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, an eminent 19th-century geologist and university president.
But at the time of its discovery, some referred to it colloquially as “Niggerhead rock,” a commonly used expression at the time to describe any large dark rock.
Which is why, amid a national reckoning over race after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, Black students at UW-Madison are calling for the removal of the rock that, while a relic of Wisconsin’s rich geological past, also serves as a painful reminder of its pervasive, racist history.
The article makes it plain that UW has a history of problems with racism aside from nicknaming a rock with a racial slur. If this is indicative of efforts to try to change that - good.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/university-wisconsin-removes-rock-sign-racism-79313853
The rock will be placed on university-owned land southeast of Madison near Lake Kegonsa. The university plans to erect a plaque in Chamberlin Hall to honor the former university president, school spokeswoman Meredith McGlone said.
The boulder is a rare, large example of a pre-Cambrian era glacial erratic that experts say is likely over 2 billion years old. It was carried by glaciers from as far north as Canada and dumped on Observatory Hill along with billions of tons of other debris when ice receded from the state about 12,000 years ago. It was previously estimated to have weighed up to 70 tons, but an updated measurement shows it weighs 42 tons. It will continue to be used for educational purposes at its new site.
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