Interactive Smith Campus Map
How does Smith memorialize both Professor Wilder and Angel De Cora today? Wilder has a house named after him, built in the 1930s. But there is no public signage holding him and the college accountable. Smith buildings cover up the past. By not addressing these atrocities, we perpetuate the harm.
At the same time, Smith is working to celebrated underrepresented alumna through public projects like De Cora House. Representing Indigenous alumna is critical work that is far overdue. Naming student homes after trailblazing women of color who studied at Smith is a small action that should be coupled with more institutional accountability. Wilder’s presence on campus and the irrevocable, unforgivable trauma he and his research team inflicted by desecrating Indigenous graves and bodies is not widely known at Smith. His identity and actions are not immediately associated with the house that bares his name.
Explore Smith campus buildings that tell the stories of Angel De Cora and Professor Wilder. Look closely at the buildings where they worked or studied, and notice how close to each other they are. How might their paths through Smith have physically overlapped? Imagine how Angel De Cora might have felt sharing space with a scientific racist.