Renaming NRH to Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall

Dear RIT community:

In the spirit of RIT’s Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity, the university is renaming Nathaniel Rochester Hall after Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry, a former student, philanthropist, and pioneer in Black children’s welfare.

Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry (1872-1943) attended public school in Washington, D.C., and eventually took classes at the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, the forerunner of RIT, in 1906. She is the granddaughter of Frederick Douglass, who gave his most famous speech at the Rochester Athenaeum’s Corinthian Hall. The residence hall will now be the first building on the RIT campus to be named after a person of color.

In recent years, historians have brought to light that Nathaniel Rochester, the businessman who was one of Rochester, N.Y.’s founders, was a slave owner who engaged in buying and selling enslaved individuals. As we address this reality, university leaders — including students — want to convey one small but meaningful way for those of us living today to be accountable and be empathetic toward our African American students and employees.

The name change is effective immediately with signage going up on the residence hall later in August, as well as formal programming as part of our Lighting the Way ceremony, scheduled for Aug. 31. Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall is also home to one of two post offices on campus. The new mailing address will change to: 43 Greenleaf Court, Rochester, NY 14623. This impacts more than 3,500 students, as all mail for students living in RIT residence halls is delivered to and from Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry Hall.

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. In coming weeks, please look for more information about the Aug. 31 commemoration for Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry.

Sincerely yours,

David Munson
President

Keith Jenkins
Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion