About the Lemon Project Committee on Memorialization

The Beginnings of the Lemon Project Committee on Memorialization (LPCOM)

In 2007, the Student Assembly of William & Mary passed a resolution proposed by Tiseme Zegeye, class of '08, calling for the Board of Visitors to establish a commission to:

• research William & Mary’s role in slavery
• make the findings public 
• establish a memorial to the enslaved and recognize their contributions to the college

In 2009, the Board of Visitors responded by:

• recognizing that William & Mary enslaved and exploited people through slave labor
• acknowledging that William & Mary failed to take a stand against segregation during the Jim Crow Era
• establishing The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation

Since its formation, The Lemon Project has aimed to address the history of slavery at the university and its many effects; the current project to memorialize the enslaved is one facet of many to enrich the history of the university and ensure the inclusion of African American narratives.   

Taking it to the Classroom

Due to combined student interest and the establishment of The Lemon Project, Jody Allen and Ed Pease co-taught a course addressing the memorialization of the enslaved in 2014. Undergraduates, graduate students, and community members took the course together and collaborated to determine a way this could happen at the college. 

Committee Members

*Jody Allen '07, Director of the Lemon Project
Julia Burzynski '17
Bill Cussen '17
**Bronte de Cardenas '16
**Timothy Courtney '15
**Elise Cruz '17
**Adam Ferguson, Global Education Information Associate
The Honorable Aundria D. Foster '82, Judge (Ret.)
Malerie Gamblin '17
**Jamesha Gibson '15
**Brittany Harrington '15
**Edith Heard, Community Member
**Christopher Johnson '15
*Susan Kern '05, Executive Director, Historic Campus
**Stephanie Kraus '15
Shannon Lewis, undergraduate
Preston Neukirch, undergraduate
**Jessica O'Brien, '09, Community Member
Ivie Orobaton, undergraduate
*Ed Pease, Architect, Senior Lecturer, William & Mary
**Melissa Pocock '14
Justin Reid '09
**Kimberly Renner '06, Former Associate Director, Historic Campus
**Stephanie Schnorrenberg '16
**Arisa Smith '17
**Charisse Taylor '16
Jillian Turner '16
Angela West, undergraduate
**John L. Whitley '70, Community Member

*Executive Committee 

**Student from the course Memorializing the Enslaved of William & Mary