The University of Wisconsin Removes “Racist” Rock
At the University of Wisconsin, even rocks are racist. Actually, just one rock. Known as the Chamberlin Rock and weighing in it at 42 tons, this geological monstrosity was named for former university president and geologist Thomas Crowder Chamberlin. The badger-loving campus went to great lengths to remove and relocate the Chamberlain Rock because, like everything from timeliness to running, the rock is racist. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, one of their 1925 articles referred to the rock using a derogatory racial slur.
Reports indicated that moving the rock cost nearly $50,000. Shifting Chamberlain to another part of campus was paid for using private donations. Racism is terrible and racial slurs are abhorrent. However, making a stink about the rock doesn’t enhance the lives of black students at the University of Wisconsin.
According to the University of Wisconsin’s own website, their tuition costs $675 per credit. Why not leave the rock, acknowledge its past, condemn the use of racial slurs today, and most importantly, use the $50,000 to buy credits for students struggling with financial hardships?
This would be an excellent solution for a problem. It’s one thing to call something racist, and it’s another to actually help people better their lives. Moving rocks does nothing, educating minds changes everything.
