Purdue Renames Residence Halls for Parker Sisters

SUMMARY

At its June meeting, the Purdue Board of Trustees approved a request from Provost Jay Akridge to rename the Griffin Residence Halls after sisters Frieda and Winifred Parker, whose family led the campaign that compelled Purdue to integrate its student housing in the 1940s. The Parker Residence Halls are the first buildings on campus to be named for Black alumnae.

After enrolling in fall 1946, the Parker sisters were admitted into the Bunker Hill residences in January 1947. The current residence halls that will be renamed in their honor are adjacent to the Black Cultural Center and just down the block from Bunker Hill’s former location at the corner of Third Street and Martin Jischke Drive.

See the following written stories, documentary videos and social media assets which feature the sisters’ story and inform the public and Purdue community about the trustees’ decision.

STRATEGY

These resources are evergreen and can be used to tell the story of the Parker Sisters and the residence hall renaming.

RESOURCES INCLUDE

Purdue Marketing and Communications is providing the following assets for campus communicators to use on their own channels:

  • Feature story about the Parker sisters
  • Feature story about the residence halls dedication event and Parker sisters’ legacy
  • Documentary video about the Parker sisters
  • Video clip from the BCC’s “Black Purdue” documentary that focuses on the Parker sisters’ story
  • Family photos of Parker sisters
  • Images of Parker sisters and Bunker Hill residents from Purdue “Debris” Yearbook
  • Building photos of Parker Residence Halls
  • Social graphics

LINKS and UTM PARAMETERS

When linking to Purdue websites from social platforms or emails, it is recommended that UTM parameters be added to the URL in order to provide reporting on the activity. The Marketing and Communications campaign URL builder allows you to easily configure these links and even request shortened Purdue-branded links.

UTM Campaign: Parker_Sisters_Story

UTM Medium: Social (or email)

UTM Source: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram (or email newsletter name)

Links to the videos:

  1. Documentary about the Parker Sisters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3RrbFgRuA
  2. Clip from “Black Purdue” documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST_Qm-CPrbo

Links to the stories:

  1. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/stories/2021/stories-at-purdue/courageous-parker-sisters-were-boilermakers-in-every-sense.html
  2. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/stories/2021/stories-at-purdue/an-american-legacy-with-boilermaker-roots.html

AVAILABLE ASSETS

The following assets are available for download and use.

  • The Parker Sisters assets include files for Delivra and Slate banners, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Instagram Stories.
  • The Parker Halls assets include files for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Instagram Stories.
  • The Dedication Event assets include files for Instagram.

NOTE: If InDesign files are needed for any of these assets, please complete the marketing request form on our website.

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE

POSTING TIPS

Digital engagement is a powerful platform to share Purdue stories and posts with past, present and future Boilermakers. Here are some tips to help your posts shine.

  • Keep posts short and direct
  • Link all posts back to our landing page
  • Include photos, videos, or GIFs
  • Use short URLS
  • Can use a Twitter thread to post full copy below

SUGGESTED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Documentary Video:

When Frieda and Winifred Parker enrolled at Purdue in 1946, they could not live on campus. The two sisters and their family led the successful campaign to integrate university housing. In October, Purdue held a dedication ceremony for the newly-named Frieda and Winifred Parker Residence Halls to honor their commitment to the fight for equity and access in education. Watch the documentary about the Parker sisters’ story and the Parker Halls dedication here: <link to documentary>

“When you are in the classroom learning together, it goes beyond your skin color. When you walk out of that room after taking the same exam, you realize that you are equals. You can learn and develop together. You can’t let anybody ever take that away from you.” Meet the Parker Sisters: <link to documentary>

In fall of 1946, #Boilermakers Frieda & Winifred Parker led the campaign that compelled #Purdue to integrate its student housing. In June 2021, the Purdue Board of Trustees formally celebrated the sisters’ legacy by renaming residence halls in their honor — Frieda Parker Hall and Winifred Parker Hall. Learn about Frieda and Winifred’s story with this segment from “Black Purdue.” <YouTube link>.

Feature stories:

Pioneers in their own way. Boilermakers in every way. In October, hundreds gathered for the dedication of Winifred Parker and Frieda Parker Halls, which stand in honor of the two sisters who led the successful effort to integrate student housing on Purdue’s campus in 1946. <link to story>

“Those were not easy days, lots of challenges, but they were the right women to do it.” In 1946, #Boilermakers Frieda & Winifred Parker led the effort to integrate student housing. Learn how their legacy continues to create change today. <link to story>

Frieda and Winifred Parker are forever linked to #Purdue’s history. When the University integrated student housing in 1947, the Parker sisters were the first Black women to move into the Bunker Hill residence halls. <link to story>

Learn more about Frieda and Winifred Parker, their fight for equity, and their place in Purdue history, now celebrated with Frieda Parker Hall and Winifred Parker Hall — residence halls named in their honor. <link to story>

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