Our HBCU We Never Knew and the arts center, artists, and scholars working to keep its memory alive

Nothing remains of Roger Williams University except a couple of historical plaques tucked away on Vanderbilt’s Peabody Campus. Founded in the wake of the Civil War alongside Fisk and Meharry, this historically Black institution once thrived before being destroyed in two suspicious fires in 1905. Today we uncover the forgotten history of Roger Williams, visit the nearby The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise & Public Policy, and meet artists and scholars working to both memorialize the university as well as honor their ancestral heritage through monuments and art.

Guests

• Lanecia Rouse, visual artist & Berg Global Artist-In-Residence Fellowship in the College of Arts and Science, Vanderbilt University
• Ciona Rouse, poet
• Dr. Kevin Murphy, Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities and Professor and Chair of History of Art and Architecture, Vanderbilt University
• Dr. Leah Lowe, Professor of Theatre and Director of The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise & Public Policy, Vanderbilt University

Further reading

• RSVP for art making workshop with Lanecia and Ciona Rouse at The Curb Center on Nov. 1 (link forthcoming)
• A Blaze of History: A prominent black university that endured two fires once was located on the Peabody campus (Vanderbilt News)
• The Roger Williams Legacy (Tennessee Magazine – Bill Carey)
• Nashvillager Podcast: NashVillager Podcast: The history of Peabody Campus
• Roger Williams University (Blackpast)