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Celebrating Jim Stewart

History Professor Emeritus Dr. James Brewer Stewart passed away on May 7, 2025.

“A towering figure in the academic community, Dr. Stewart left an indelible mark through his scholarship, teaching, and unwavering commitment to equity and justice.”

There will be a public Celebration of Life and at the University Club in Saint Paul on September 14th, 2025, at 2pm.
All are welcome.

Faculty News

History Department Statement on Racial Justice | June 23, 2020

The History department of �պ���Ʒ deplores the murder of Mr. George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis Police Department. We support the protestors who call for justice locally, nationally, and globally. We call on leaders and authorities in the Twin Cities to review the of recent and extended violence to contextualize this moment and formulate new policies respecting the rights of marginalized peoples. 

�պ���Ʒ sits on Dakota homelands. Our campus is located five miles fr​​om , which once housed slaves such as Dred and Harriet Scott. Fort Snelling also served as a concentration camp in the wake of the , a conflict that led to the largest mass execution in the history of the United States. 

From and to the of the vibrant Rondo neighborhood and the police brutality that led to the of the American Indian Movement in the 1960s, our Twin Cities and Macalester communities have been built on the blood of people of color. As historians, we are acutely aware that racism and settler colonialism are not limited to Minnesota or the United States. But Mr. Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has laid bare the that continue to uphold these injustices. 

Justice for Mr. Floyd cannot be an end in itself. Justice now should be part and parcel of the much needed fundamental change to and resolution of pervasive, blatant, and systemic racism and structural violence. It demands our collective long-term and sustained engagement from our institutions and classroom to households and streets. Inspired in part by our , who have reminded us of the necessity of direct action, the �պ���Ʒ History Department has made two donations in the name of Mr. George Floyd: one to , a Native organization that “nurtures the development of Native American youth in order to unleash their creativity and dreams”; and , a community partner that serves the African-American Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul that has been incredibly generous to Macalester History students. 

This is just a first step.  In the words of our chair, Professor Linda Sturtz, “our charge or vocation (‘calling,’ if you will), as Macalester History professors, is to shape the world for the better by educating students as they become deeply engaged citizens.”

For older posts, visit the Department News Archive.