The Power of Will
For over 250 years, the Black individuals whose labor helped build Queen’s College have remained nameless and invisible. No more.
An excerpt from Scarlet and Black, Volume 1: Slavery and Dispossession in Rutgers History
No last name is known for Will, an enslaved man who helped lay the foundation for the Old Queens building in the fall of 1808. Today, Old Queen’s houses some of the university’s most prestigious offices including the Office of the Chancellor. The Scarlet and Black Project uncovered his story.
The Will Power Retention Scholarship Fund was created in 2018 to help address the financial element that impacts student retention, particularly for Black male students. Learn about the impact this fund has had on student awardees and the future of this initiative from Jakora Holman RC’07, Director for the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and lead alumni supporter, Frank McClellan RC’67.
Just as Will, and countless unnamed enslaved people, laid the foundation for Rutgers University, the Will Power Retention Fund helps ensure that promising Rutgers students are able to attain the degree that will provide the foundation for future success.