Letter: Collective statement calling for changing the name of Catt Hall

Letter writers Ruxandra Looft, Rita Mookerjee and Michele Schaal join the many voices on the call to rename Catt Hall.

Ruxandra Looft, Rita Mookerjee and Michele Schaal
July 9, 2020

July 6, 2020

We join the many voices that have called for the name change of Catt Hall and the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women in Politics since 1995. While Carrie Chapman Catt did play a major role in the history of women’s suffrage in the United States, we cannot deny her racist positions evidenced by ample scholarship by BIWOC (Black/Indigenous/Womxn of Color) and allied scholars, including research done by Iowa State faculty. We must consider Carrie Chapman Catt in the same historical context we use to teach and discuss early feminisms, which is to say we allow for the entirety of complex narratives to be told. Renaming the building does not mean erasing history. During this time of unprecedented division in this country and global calls for racial justice, we vow to promote equity and inclusion on campus. As members of the Iowa State community, we urge our university to take action by changing the name thereby demonstrating our commitment to the Principles of Community and the many Statements of Solidarity voiced by university units and student groups across campus.

Dr. Ruxandra Looft, co-author

Dr. Rita Mookerjee, co-author

Dr. Michèle Schaal, co-author

The following list of supporting names represents Iowa State students, staff, administrators, faculty and alumni. This list was compiled over a 72-hour period this week, following the writing and making public of this statement.

With Support From: