Once upon a time, there was an ugly wall that separated a Black college from a White neighborhood in Baltimore. It was like a real-life embodiment of Jim Crow, except made of bricks instead of hate. But the good news is that it came tumbling down on Tuesday, and Morgan State University’s president is feeling pretty great about it. “To tear down that wall is the first step in removing a physical sign every single day of what our students and larger community had to go through,” he said. Hallelujah!

Now, here’s some history for ya: Morgan State University was founded in 1867 and moved to its current location in 1917. Unfortunately, the white neighbors didn’t take kindly to the “negro institution” in their midst, and they organized a mass meeting to protest. “We don’t want no educated negroes around here,” one guy said. Because apparently, it’s better to live near “ignorant and tractable” Black folks than ones with a higher education. Sounds totally logical.

But wait, there’s more! There was even a lawsuit to try to stop the college’s construction, because you know, property values and whatnot. Thankfully, the court ruled in favor of the college, stating that Black folks aren’t a public nuisance just because they want to live somewhere. Crazy concept, we know.

Alas, the spite wall went up in 1941, because apparently not being able to see the college was better than having it in plain sight. And it stayed up for decades, even after the civil rights movement and the election of the first Black president. Because who needs progress when you can have a big ol’ wall of hate?

But now, things are looking up! Morgan State has grown closer to the community around it, investing in a formerly segregated shopping center nearby. And with the opposition to the wall growing, they were finally able to tear it down. Of course, it took acquiring some private property and finding funding for demolition, but hey, progress comes at a price.

The Hillen Road Improvement Association’s president showed up to photograph the demolition, and she was ecstatic. “It’s a visual block. Opening up that space — it really lifted something in me,” she said. And a new border will eventually go up, one that defines the campus without dividing it from the community. Kim McCalla, Morgan State University’s associate vice president of facilities, said it will be something “thinking toward the future with openness.” Sounds good to us! But don’t worry, parts of the wall will remain as a reminder of the past. Because history shouldn’t be erased, even if it’s an ugly symbol of hate.