William & Mary unveils design for memorial to enslaved people who worked on campus
William & Mary will build a memorial to people who were enslaved at the institution, one designed to evoke a hearth and serve as a gathering spot for students, faculty and community members as they reflect on the past.
The selection of the winning design was announced Friday by the school's president, Katherine A. Rowe, and marks the latest step in a years-long effort to research and publicize the role slavery played at the school in Williamsburg, Va.
The university began the process of reconciliation with its past, acknowledging people who were, in effect, made invisible, said Jody Allen, an assistant professor of history at William & Mary. "They're coming out of the shadows," Allen said. "We're establishing a place on campus where they will always be remembered."
