Honour Sutherland legacy

Queen’s Board of Trustees deferred to the principal a proposal to name a building on campus after alumnus and benefactor Robert Sutherland, the Globe and Mail reported Jan. 19.

The Board said former Queen’s principal David Smith still doesn’t have a campus building named after him, adding that the University could lose an opportunity to sell naming rights for a campus building.

Williams will make a recommendation to the Board in March.

Sutherland made history in 1852 by becoming the first black man to graduate from a university in British North America.

But what he should more be remembered for is his bequest that saved the University from having to merge with the University of Toronto because of a lack of funds.

It’s frustrating that the Board continues to stall its decision without proper explanation of its intentions.

The proposal calls for the Policy Studies building to be named after Sutherland, which seems appropriate given his career as a lawyer.

It’s also unlikely the building, which is already 12 years old and not undergoing major renovations, will attract new naming donors, rendering the Board’s reasoning flat and illogical.

Ideally, the Queen’s Centre should be named after Sutherland.

The project is set to become a central hub on campus and it’s even more fitting for the University’s most significant benefactor to be recognized by all students rather than a minority of students who use the Policy Studies building.

Even if Queen’s is forced to sell the naming rights of the Queen’s Centre to raise funds for the over-budget project, the University should suggest the purchaser consider naming it after Sutherland.

The University has an opportunity to name its first building after a person of colour, a step in correcting its historical marginalization of their experiences.

Alumni from minority communities might be encouraged to donate to the University if they see their history finally being acknowledged.

Although Sutherland’s colour shouldn’t be a reason to honour him, it’s likely the reason he has yet to be recognized properly for his contributions—a shameful admission Principal Williams and the Board must work quickly to change.

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

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