THE MEMORIAL TO THE ENSLAVED, COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY

 

During the College of William & Mary's 2007 – 2008 academic year, the college was asked by the student assembly “to research and make public the school’s history of slavery and to establish a memorial to the people who were enslaved.”  As research began, a concept was formed where the memorial would “rekindle the memory of the enslaved, illuminate a place to reflect on the university’s past, and radiate freedom and hope for the future."  With this in mind, multiple concepts for the memorial were developed, different in design yet all based on the use of brick - a source of illumination - and a place to highlight the names of enslaved people with room to add more as they were discovered through further research. “The final concept entitled “Hearth”, suggests a brick fireplace; its design meant to symbolize the emptiness of slavery and to exude home and freedom for the future."  The threshold created by the hearth design connects the two sides of the campus, becoming an important feature of the masterplan and the Jamestown Road entrance to William & Mary.