Agnes Scott College receives Mellon Foundation grant

July 22nd, 2022

Earlier this month, Agnes Scott College announced it had been awarded a $750,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to fund the “Acknowledging our Past: Acting Now for A Transformed Future” project, an initiative that aims to investigate the physically erased BIPOC individuals involved in the college’s conception.

In their investigation, the college has uncovered several unrecognized people of color involved in the college’s construction.

One “hidden founder” uncovered in the project was Samuel Harper, a craftsman credited with leading the construction of the campus bell tower. Lena Oliver, Harper’s wife, was the daughter of prominent African American Decatur leader Henry Oliver. Commerce Road, which once bore her father’s name, no longer honors his contributions.

“We had to do something about it,” Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak said on Friday’s edition of “Closer Look.”

“What we really need to do is ensure that we know who the other individuals are and they have to be highlighted.

They should have been highlighted sooner, but it’s never too late.”

The college hopes the project’s impact, both on campus and community-wide, will be long-lasting.

“We have always put social justice at the center of our curriculum [and] our programs,” Dr. Yves-Rose Porcena, the college’s vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, said. “How can we do more — not just at Agnes — but also in the community where Agnes Scott operates?”