The renaming honors Simmons, whose bold initiative to uncover the University’s historical ties to racial slavery resulted in a landmark 2006 report. The authors described in detail how several of Brown’s founders and benefactors participated in and benefited from the slave trade, and it recommended a series of actions the University could take to confront its history. Among many other outcomes, it led to the creation of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice in 2012.

“Dr. Ruth Simmons’ urging and vision to establish a committee to examine Brown’s relationship to the Atlantic slave trade was a profound moment in American higher education,” Bogues said. “It was also a moment that changed the direction of the ways in which American universities would think about the system.”

The effort at Brown inspired universities and other organizations around the world to take up the work of investigating their own ties to slavery and confronting its enduring legacy.

“She was not just asking a historical question about the Atlantic slave trade,” Bogues said. “She was actually asking a question about today … What are the legacies of the slave trade today? How does it impact us living in America, and how does it impact and shape this University [today]?”

The crowd of about 50 guests included Brown officials, students, faculty, staff and interested passersby who were drawn to the event. Even Elvy — the Brown Department of Public Safety’s comfort dog — made an appearance and shared a moment with Simmons.

The crowd first gathered under a tent set up near the center, learning about the center’s origins, the people who helped establish it and the center’s history as a leader for research that is changing the way the world learns about the legacies of the slave trade. The group then proceeded from the from the shade of the tent to the sun-soaked street, where a newly installed sign for the center was officially unveiled by Simmons and Bogues, who drew back the drape that was covering it.

Also at the unveiling event — which preceded a book talk with Simmons later in the evening for her new memoir, “Up Home: One Girl’s Journey” — Simmons received a special gift from the center: a boxed catalog of art exhibitions and historical research produced during the center’s first 10 years.

As she graciously accepted the gift, Simmons reminded attendees that the work is far from finished.

“I leave here today thinking that, although I would love to be retired, as long as there is justice work to be done, there is no such thing as retired,” Simmons said. “There’s always work to do and I thank all of you for being committed to that work.”