On September 22, hundreds of alumnae, students and Rutgers community members joined together to explore the past and present of Douglass Residential College at the Power of 100 Years: Douglass Centennial Celebration.
The daytime colloquium featured three panel discussions, two showcasing the history of African-American, Jewish and Puerto Rican students at Douglass. The last panel highlighted the voices of current Douglass women.
Though history can be fraught with unsettling injustice, Dean Jacquelyn Litt emphasized the importance of honestly examining our roots.
“We will only become stronger by understanding our past,” she said. “Douglass today explores our history. Tomorrow, we renew our value and commitment to serve women from all backgrounds.”
For the African American and Puerto Rican discussion, Douglass enlisted a team of graduate students to dig through the archives and uncover the past. Led by postdoctoral associate Miya Carey, the researchers, Shaun Armstead and Pamela Walker, shared their findings as panelists for “The Power of Douglass History” discussion. Deborah Gray White is the Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University.
“From a small group of white, native born, Anglo-Saxon women who were being educated for narrowly-prescribed female occupations, Douglass has transformed into a cosmopolitan universe of women of different colors, classes, ethnicities, religions and nationalities whose professional aspirations are unbounded,” said Professor Gray White, who served as one of the panel’s moderators.
The research on African American women at Douglass is part of the Scarlet and Black Project, which was made possible by the Office of the President, and Rutgers–New Brunswick Office of the Chancellor. Deborah Gray White heads the committee charged with seeking out the untold story of disadvantaged populations at Rutgers and recommending how Rutgers can best acknowledge their influence. The first volume of the Project, Scarlet and Black, Volume I: Slavery and Dispossession in Rutgers History was published in 2016. Professor Gray White and Marisa J. Fuentes edited this edition of Scarlet and Black. A second volume is forthcoming and will include a chapter on Douglass’ History.
The Jewish history panel discussion was funded by Douglass and included students Hallel Yadin DRC’19 and Rachel Ferrante DRC’20, supervised by Fernanda H. Perrone, Archivist and Head, Exhibitions Program, Curator, William Elliot Griffis Collection, Rutgers University Libraries.
Presentations concluded with a student panel moderated by Ife Meadows, Director of Student and Alumnae Engagement at Douglass Residential College. Perpetual Tamakloe DRC’19, Kulsom Zehra DRC’20, Uzo Achebe DRC’21 and Sriya Vudata DRC’21 shared their Douglass experiences.
The Douglass Centennial Celebration concluded with a campus night celebration complete with an official 100th-anniversary photo on Antilles Field. Christopher Molloy, Interim Chancellor of Rutgers University–New Brunswick, spoke about the role Douglass has played in the community since its founding in 1918.
“For a century, Douglass has brought together women of outstanding achievement...” Molloy said. “These traits endure in the Douglass women of today and continue to exemplify Douglass’ legacy as an invaluable asset here at Rutgers."
Afterward, the celebration continued with food, music, games and centennial giveaways.
From its inaugural class of 54 students, Douglass has transformed into a vibrant community of 2,600 undergraduate women scholars and over 39,000 alumnae. The centennial celebration eloquently wove together the past and present as Douglass embarks on its next 100-year journey.
