The University of Miami announced yesterday that it will celebrate the accomplishments, contributions, and legacies of Black role models who were integral in shaping the course of the institution through the naming of buildings on the school’s 239-acre Coral Gables Campus.
The decision to do so, reached by the executive committee of the Board of Trustees on Monday evening, reaffirms “our commitment to belonging and justice by recognizing those who overcame racism to enrich our campus, our city, and our world,” Hilarie Bass, chair of the board, and President Julio Frenk stated in a joint message sent to the University community.
The University community will see the results of the executive committee’s actions as early as this fall, when the new three-story Student Services Building, located near Mahoney-Pearson dining hall behind the Lowe Art Museum, will be named for a distinguished Black University alumnus or alumna.
“In helping to transform the way we provide services to our students, this state-of-the-art building reflects our ambition to lead the educational revolution by providing an education for life that has belonging, equity, and justice at its core,” the message said. “This decision stems from our commitment to honoring ’Canes from all walks of life as the University continues to grow, evolve, and thrive.”
A small committee of trustees and faculty and student members will be selected to identify an appropriate namesake, with a grand opening and dedication ceremony taking place in the fall.
During Monday’s meeting, the executive committee voted to rename the rehearsal hall at the Frost School of Music to honor an individual whose accomplishments reflect the values of the University and whose life epitomizes a personal commitment to the institution.
The hall was named after Henry Fillmore, who used patently offensive language and images to promote his music. His most prominent work—the success of which led to his renown and likely the naming—was full of racist caricatures that amounted to dehumanizing Black people.
Fillmore died in 1956, nearly a decade after the federal government took action to end segregation in the United States armed forces. In considering whether Fillmore acknowledged the negative aspects of his work, the HRCN concluded he did not.
A special committee appointed by the Board of Trustees will research a new name for the rehearsal hall, with input from students, faculty, alumni, and other members of the University community. That committee will make its recommendation in the coming months.
In another decision made Monday by the executive committee, the parking garage on Merrick Drive will no longer be referred to by the University founder’s name. The University has much to be thankful for to George E. Merrick, “yet we understand that for some members of our community, the name on this garage is a reminder of the harm caused by segregation.” A neutral directional name for the parking garage will be adopted.
The executive committee decided to retain the names to another building and a street on campus that both bear the Merrick family name and were the subject of a second petition before the board.
One of the oldest structures on the Coral Gables Campus, the Solomon G. Merrick Building was named in honor of George Merrick’s father in consideration for the gift of 160 acres of land and $5 million in financial support that led to the University being established.
https://news.miami.edu/stories/2021/05/university-reaffirms-commitment-to-belonging-and-justice-through-naming,-renaming-of-facilities.html
