University of Chicago Black Scholar is Honored with her Own Bust
Georgiana Rose Simpson, one of the first black women in the country to achieve a doctorate degree is honored by the University of Chicago with her own bust. The bust is located on top of a pedestal at the Reynold’s Club in the student center. Many decades ago, the club was only available for access to white men.
In 1907, Simpson arrived in the campus. Her being black caused a controversy among the students, especially in the university dorms. To address this issue, she was asked by the school to move outside the campus. Simpson, however, was determined to pursue her education and did not let this affect her.
She made the commute to campus, persevered, and continued her studies.…show more content… According to the two girls, the university made an effort to put her in her rightful place not only in the university but in Chicago’s history as well.
Omonijo says that the University of Chicago is located in a community that is predominantly African-American. However, there is rarely a reflection of the African-American community reflected in the campus. She adds that this is despite the fact that a lot of well-known black scholars came from the university.
The newly built statue represents the role of these monuments in the country’s history and how this affects the people who sees them. In Chicago, there are just a couple of monuments that recognize the contributions of women. There are a few memorials that celebrate women but only a few that are designed as the image of notable women such as Simpson.
The Smithsonian Institute cites that only 8% of public statues represent women. Erika Doss, a professor at the University of Notre Dame says that women are almost non-existent in US memorial culture. In recent years, the identity of memorial statues have a different meaning, especially with the way people are using these monuments to represent their social
