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Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building Renaming Becomes Platform For Byrd Stadium Debate

December 03, 2015 College of Arts and Humanities

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Student protestors and members of the Mitchell family speak on renaming the stadium.

By Andrew Dunn, The Diamondback

While University of Maryland President Wallace Loh gave a speech commemorating Parren Mitchell, a 1971-1987 congressman and civil rights leader who is the new namesake for the Art-Sociology Building, Colin Byrd stood to the side of the stage, fiddling with a megaphone.

The senior sociology major and activist then turned on the megaphone and interrupted a surprised Loh.

In front of the crowd of about 300 who gathered for the dedication of the newly renamed Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology building, including University System of Maryland Chancellor Robert Caret, Byrd criticized Loh for acting slowly on the Byrd Stadium renaming issue and for the lack of business contracts that go to African American-owned businesses. Byrd found in a public records request filed to the university that 1 percent of the university’s contracts in 2014 were given to African-American vendors with Minority Business Enterprise status, which he described as a form of economic injustice.

“That’s not acceptable, and I know you’re not going to answer, but I have to say this because you need to call this out for what it is,” said Byrd, who is not related to the stadium's namesake. “This is B.S.”

Clarence M. Mitchell IV, a former senator of this state and nephew of Parren Mitchell, rose from the crowd to address Byrd.

“I’m here to honor my uncle; my family is here to honor my uncle,” Mitchell said. “I would appreciate it if you just go elsewhere.”

Read more here.