FSU renaming North Hall in honor of first African American graduate
Courtesy | Framingham State University
Framingham State University's North Hall will be renamed.
Framingham State University has received approval to rename North Hall in honor of Mary Elizabeth (Miles) Bibb, the college’s first African American graduate and a pioneering abolitionist.
Bibb graduated from Framingham State – known at the time as the Lexington Normal School – in 1843, and went on to become one of the first African American female teachers in North America. Bibb met her husband, Henry Bibb, an escaped slave and abolitionist, in 1847. The couple moved to Canada following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. In Canada, they took fugitive slaves who had arrived via the Underground Railroad into their home. In 1851 they began publishing a newspaper called Voice of the Fugitive, the first major newspaper targeted at black Canadians.
“This year marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first slaves in North America,” said Carlos Santiago, Massachusetts commissioner of higher education, in a press release. “I cannot think of a better time to honor the legacy of a Framingham graduate who devoted her life to ending the scourge of slavery, all the while serving as a role model for women of color. I congratulate the Framingham State community for its work to honor the legacy of Mary Miles Bibb.”
The decision was prompted by a petition signed by more than 100 students. The university’s board approved the renaming of the 410-bed residence hall in the spring of 2018 but the change needed approval from the Massachusetts Board of Education. The approval for the renaming was received today and an official naming ceremony is being planned.
CORRECTION: The photo caption in a previous version of this story mistakenly identified North Hall as being on Fitchburg State University's campus.
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