By Sahana Jayaraman
There is a an entire side of the University of Maryland’s history that much of the school’s student and faculty population may not be aware of.
One man — Dr. Kim Nickerson, assistant dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UMD’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences — is determined to change that.
Nickerson stood at the base of the historic Rossborough Inn steps, facing his tour group Feb. 28. Puffs of his breath misted in the frigid afternoon air as he recited the James Baldwin quote he always uses to kick off his routine UMD African-American History and Landmark tours.
“‘History is not the past. History is the present,’” Nickerson quoted. “‘We carry our history with us. We are our history.’”
This tour, the final of four coordinated throughout the month of February by UMD’s Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy, marked the end of Black History Month (BHM).
Ghonva Ghauri, the MICA Coordinator for Multiracial & Native American Indian/Indigenous Student Involvement and Advocacy, was one of the tour’s seven attendees.
“My colleague, Janai, is the one who planned this tour with Dr. Nickerson to be on the MICA BHM calendar,” Ghauri said. “[She] mentioned that a walking tour was happening on campus to celebrate the African American history that developed UMD, and I instantly simply knew I needed to attend and be knowledgeable on this subject.”
Nickerson shared extra bits of historical knowledge with the group as it made its way from the Inn to its final destination, the Frederick Douglass statue at Hornbake Plaza.
In between, they stopped in front of the Art-Sociology Building.
“These stories [of African American pioneers at Maryland] existed, but nobody saw fit to put them together,” Nickerson said. “I did.”
Rianna Murray, a Ph.D student studying toxicology and environmental health, is a Trinidad and Tobago native. She described the tour as an eye-opening experience.
“The tour…provided so many important details about black history on campus…that I was previously unaware of, despite being on campus for the last seven years,” Murray said.
Murray was not the only attendee unaware that African American history was so interwoven in the university’s roots. Several other tour-goers — some who had been working at UMD for more than a decade — had little knowledge of the historical figures Nickerson introduced.
“I wish that all members of the campus community would take the opportunity to experience the tour,” Murray said. “Understanding these stories can help people of color such as myself feel a greater sense of belonging at the university, especially seeing themselves represented in important figures…who were pivotal in the rich history of this campus.”
Nickerson, who launched the African American History and Landmark tours last year, cited inclusivity as the most important factor of his tour.
“There is a great need for greater acknowledgement of other people when history is being told from only one [perspective],” Nickerson said. “[This tour] tells the [indisputable] story of people of African descent who were enslaved and then systematically oppressed and blocked from education, and their contributions to not just this campus, but to the world or to the nation.”
With 43 percent of UMD’s student body belonging to a minority population, Nickerson said diversifying the university’s dominant historical narrative is more vital than ever before. Still, he notes these little-known facts should not override the already-established story about UMD’s history, just add to it.
“The University of Maryland belongs to everyone,” Nickerson said. “Everyone contributed to making this University great.”