Delaware Valley University Faculty Member Helps Coordinate Placement of New Toni Morrison Society Bench

Dr. Craig Stutman, a Delaware Valley University assistant professor of history and public policy, recently helped dedicate a new Toni Morrison Society Bench at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Stutman serves as chair of the Toni Morrison Society’s Bench by the Road Project. The Toni Morrison Society has dedicated 25 benches and historic plaques that are placed throughout the world to highlight important stories from African and African American history. The new bench was dedicated on Friday, April 5. 

“I feel honored to be a part of a project that helps reimagine the cultural landscape of African-American historical markers,” said Dr. Stutman. “The bench and historic plaque at Howard University commemorate the school and its many distinguished alumni. Toni Morrison graduated from and taught at Howard University as well, so it is fitting that we were able to place our 25th bench there. Howard has produced generations of well-known alumni, including California Senator and 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary Candidate Kamala Harris.”

Howard University was founded in 1867. According to the Toni Morrison Society, the school “has become a hallmark of Black education and culture in the United States.” 

For more information on the Bench by the Road Project, and, the new bench at Howard University, please visit tonimorrisonsociety.org.