Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall commemoration planned

A commemoration to rename a Rochester Institute of Technology residence hall after a granddaughter of abolitionist Frederick Douglass will be held Thursday evening in conjunction with RIT’s annual Lighting the Way ceremony to welcome women and non-binary students to campus.

Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall (DSP) is now the name of the former Nathaniel Rochester Hall, which had been named after an early settler in the region and is the person the city of Rochester is named for. The name change follows the spirit of RIT’s Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity. In recent years, there has been discussion about the building’s name because Nathanial Rochester came to the area with 10 slaves in 1810.

In a memo circulated to the RIT community, RIT President David Munson and Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Keith Jenkins said diversity and inclusion are fundamental aspects of RIT’s identity as a university.

“Our campus comprises people who live, study, and work here—a collective that must thrive in an empathetic and inclusive environment where all feel valued, inspired, and challenged to build a better world,” they said.

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Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry. Photo provided by the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress

In 1906, Douglass Sprague Perry was a student of the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, which later became RIT. She moved to Kansas City and became a philanthropist, helping African American children receive better health care, among other achievements.

Rochester resident Jacqueline Sprague, a cousin of Fredericka, plans to attend the commemoration. She and another cousin, Kenneth B. Morris Jr., co-founder and president of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, said this event helps bring the Douglass and Sprague families even closer.

In a joint statement, Sprague and Morris said the building’s name is a tribute and inspiration for students and youth in the community, and the nation.

“Her spirit will remain for generations on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus,” they said. “The building renaming promotes unity in the community by showing a deep appreciation of the accomplishments of RIT and Mechanics school women graduates, and Fredericka’s legacy and impact throughout the nation.”

The eight-story building is the second RIT residence hall named in honor of a woman and the first building on campus named after a person of color.

An hour-long commemoration will begin at 7 p.m. both inside the building’s first floor and in the quad outside of the residence hall. Students representing various clubs and organizations are expected to have tables to inform visitors about the activities they do.

Around 7:45 p.m., the event commences to the quad outside where remarks are expected by Munson, Jenkins, and Darnae Pauley, president of the RIT chapter of the ALANA Collegiate Association. Remarks will be followed by a ribbon cutting.

At 8 p.m., the Lighting the Way procession will take place from Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall to the Frank Ritter Ice Arena.

The walk, in its 18th year and organized by the Center for Campus Life, provides numerous lanterns for students who identify as women or non-binary to carry, and keep. The route will be lined with lighted luminaires.

“It’s a symbolism to show everyone that women are an underrepresented group on campus,” said Kelly Kamish, assistant director for Campus Life. “We need to light the way here to show that women are valued and have a special place here.”

A dessert reception will follow in Ritter Arena, catered by local businesses who are owned by women and women who are marginalized.

The event is free and open to all. No registration is required.