Located outside the Office of Student Activities in Buntrock Commons, the La Francis Rodgers-Rose Gallery pays homage to St. Olaf College’s first Black faculty member: Dr. La Francis Rodgers-Rose. After becoming the ninth Black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D, Dr. Rodgers-Rose joined the St. Olaf sociology department. She found meaningful ways to impact the College and Northfield by creating community and expanding conversations related to racial justice.

After five years at St. Olaf, Dr. La Francis Rodgers-Rose went on to play a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, founding the International Black Women’s Congress. Her work also greatly advanced the field of Sociology, where she was a founding member of the Association of Black Sociologists and the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists. Her activism and passion for leadership is inspiring, and we strongly believe in continuing her legacy and its contribution to St. Olaf College’s rich history.

In honor of Dr. Rodgers-Rose, we, the St. Olaf Student Government Association, dedicated this space in the fall of 2024 to showcase and uplift the work of multicultural student-artists in an effort to extend Dr. La Francis Rodgers-Rose’s impact on our campus far into the future.