University of Rhode Island Decides to Keep Campus Mural Despite Complaints About Lack of Diversity
“Last year, URI said it received numerous complaints from students who felt there was a lack of diversity”
This is an unusual win, given the environment on most campuses right now.
WJAR News reports:
Family ‘elated’ 70-year-old mural will stay up at University of Rhode Island
A 70-year-old mural at the University of Rhode Island that was set to be taken down will now stay up.
The university made the announcement a few days ago after its appointed “Memorial Union Mural Advisory Committee” concluded that was then approved by the university.
In the 1950s, World War II veteran and URI student, Dr. Arthur Sherman, was asked to depict campus life through his artwork at the Memorial Union on campus.
He told NBC 10 News in an interview last year, his painting depicted that error, [I think they meant “era”] when there were only about 2,000 students on campus who were predominantly white.
Sherman went on to become a professor of the college. He’s now 96 years old and still lives in Rhode Island.
For seven decades, his mural remained on the wall in the basement of the student union.
Last year, URI said it received numerous complaints from students who felt there was a lack of diversity in the paintings, so it made the decision to announce the murals would be covered and, in their place, a digital board would be put up.
After news of that announcement, Sherman’s daughter, Pamela Sherman, said her family was overwhelmed with support.
“It was heartwarming, absolutely heartwarming. All the emails and phone calls,” said Pamela. “We got emails and phone calls from people we’ve never met before and the outpouring of support was phenomenal.”
#Update– last year, URI had planned to take down this mural painted over 70 years ago depicting life on campus due to complaints about a lack of diversity but now they plan to
1. Keep it up & preserve it
2. Add a description about it
3. Make another showing campus today. @NBC10 pic.twitter.com/itBCYrXiy4— Sam Read (@NBC10_Sam) July 2, 2021
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Comments
This is great news. There is a lot of nonsense being advanced as “student demands.” For example, at Cornell University, the black student union demanded that the “Cornell Plantations” which was named by Liberty Hyde Bailey and has absolutely nothing to do with slavery, be renamed.