The University of Colorado’s Boulder campus will permanently retain a sculpture installed last year honoring six Chicano activists murdered in two car bombings following demonstrations in 1974.

“I recognize that we must better understand how the events of 1974 connect to the events that are occurring now,” Chancellor Philip DiStefano told the campus news service. “Our mission calls for us to preserve the sculpture and use it as a focal point for our community to engage in difficult questions about how the Boulder campus will respond to racism and provide greater equity to students, faculty and staff of color.”

Jasmine Baetz, an artist and CU alumna, created “Los Seis de Boulder” to honor Una Jaakola, Reyes Martínez and Neva Romero, CU students who died on May 27, 1974, and also Francisco Dougherty, Heriberto Terán and Florencio Granado, who died on May 29. The second bombing also injured Antonio Alcántar, who survived.

Preceding the violence, activists affiliated with the United Mexican-American Students organization occupied university buildings on two separate occasions — including an 18-day demonstration — after the university withheld financial aid.

“They were alarmed by how we were changing the culture of the university and they started losing our financial aid applications, our files,” said Juan Espinoza, according to CPR. “The strongest advocates, the militants, the one leading the demonstrations and all that were being targeted. It was their financial aid being lost.”

The car bombings remain unsolved. The University Libraries’ Special Collections, Archives and Preservation department will take charge of the sculpture.