Angela Therese Mathew

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The Observer •

University uncovers Columbus Murals in Main Building for instructional purposes

This past week, the Columbus murals on the second floor of the University’s Main Building were uncovered for instructional purposes. The 12 paintings depict Columbus’ arrival in the “New World,” his interactions with Indigenous people in the Caribbean and images of Spanish royals like Queen Isabella. They were covered with tapestries in 2020 post an announcement by Fr. Jenkins in Jan. 2019. The first calls for the removal of the murals occurred in the 1970s, when the first few Indigenous students enrolled at Notre Dame and spoke about the mural’s racist and stereotypical depiction of Indigenous people.
The Observer •

Center for Social Concerns withdraws resources for community engagement

The Center for Social Concerns (CSC) no longer provides vehicles for students to rent, free of charge, to do social service as part of community-engaged learning courses. This change has impacted community-based learning courses across disciplines like romance languages, writing and rhetoric and the program of liberal studies (PLS) that include service requirements off-campus in South Bend.
The Observer •

Author Clint Smith speaks about history of slavery and writing

The Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith spoke at the Smith Ballroom at the Morris Inn on Wednesday evening. Smith’s book, “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America,” was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and a 2021 National Book Critics Circle Award Winner for Nonfiction. Smith highlighted the importance of understanding the "human texture that animates certain beliefs" when reckoning with bigotry.