The University of Virginia recently dedicated a new memorial to the enslaved workers who were forced to clear land and begin construction on the University. The memorial is located on the grounds of the University's Rotunda, designed by Thomas Jefferson as the architectural and academic heart of the University.
The memorial consists of two concentric circular walls. Etched on the interior of the outer wall are the names of many of the enslaved laborers. In some cases, individuals are listed by their roles -- bricklayer, wife, son -- because their names are unknown. 3,000 Others whose names and roles are unknown are represented by "memory marks," lines etched into the wall. The inner wall includes a timeline of slavery at UVA.
The memorial consists of two concentric circular walls. Etched on the interior of the outer wall are the names of many of the enslaved laborers. In some cases, individuals are listed by their roles -- bricklayer, wife, son -- because their names are unknown. 3,000 Others whose names and roles are unknown are represented by "memory marks," lines etched into the wall. The inner wall includes a timeline of slavery at UVA.
| Below: Jefferson's Rotunda on the grounds of UVA:  | Below: UVA's new memorial to enslaved laborers:  |
| | By Langston Hughes: Four walls can hold So much pain, Four walls that shield From the wind and rain. Four walls can shelter So much sorrow Garnered from yesterday And held for tomorrow. |
Like the four walls in Langston Hugh's poem, the UVA memorial's two walls hold "so much pain" and sorrow, "garnered from yesterday and held for tomorrow."
Read about the memorial HERE and HERE.
Read about the memorial HERE and HERE.
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Below: Pics at the Rotunda, just a short stroll from the new memorial:
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