- The University of Rhode Island removed a partial Malcolm X quote from its library following student protests.
- The quote included Malcolm X's love of reading but ignored his perspective on "battling the white man."
The University of Rhode Island removed a partial quote by Malcolm X from its library after a decades-long effort by protestors who said it was misrepresented.
The quote about reading from "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" was inscribed at the university's Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons in 1992, according to The Associated Press.
"My alma mater was books, a good library ... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity," read the inscription quoting Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965.
Instead of coming across as an homage to Malcolm X, students at the time were angered that the civil rights leader's overall message from the quote was watered down.
Per the AP, the full quote read: "I told the Englishman that my alma mater was books, a good library. Every time I catch a plane, I have with me a book that I want to read — and that's a lot of books these days. If I weren't out here every day battling the white man, I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity — because you can hardly mention anything I'm not curious about."
Following the inscription's installation, more than 200 students from the university's Black Student Leadership Group took over a campus building, according to the school's alumni magazine. They presented the school administration with a list of demands and were met with support from the administration, alumni told the magazine.
When the protestors held a 30-year reunion in November, university president Marc Parlange said the quote would be removed, according to the AP.
"The removal of this inscription started 30 years ago, when a group of URI students had the courage to stand up and speak out against injustices happening at that time," Parlange said in a statement, according to the AP. "Our university is grateful to those students for their courage, and I am grateful to today's generation of student leaders who, advocating in that same spirit, continue to inspire our ongoing work to foster a truly inclusive and equitable community."
Insider has contacted the University of Rhode Island for comment.