Memorial To Enslaved Laborers: Recognizing UVA’s History (June 9)

1826 University Avenue,Charlottesville VA 22904

09 June, 2023

Description

OverviewOver the past decade, U.S. colleges and universities have begun paying greater attention to the historical role of slavery at their institutions. In 2013, the University of Virginia began a deeper dive into its (historical) relationship with slavery, exploring opportunities for recognition and commemoration. In 2016, after having spent substantial time investigating and interpreting significant buildings and sites related to slavery, UVA hired a design consultant to gather community feedback about a possible memorial. Today, the creation of the Memorial is completed. In this talk, you will learn about the history of the enslaved laborers at UVA and the site significance of this Memorial that honors the lives, labor, and resistance of the estimated 4,000 individuals who built and maintained the University. Join us for this opportunity to learn about the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at UVA. Our speaker is Kirt von Daacke, Assistant Dean and Professor of History, College of Arts & Sciences, and Co-Chair of the UVA President’s Commission on Slavery at the University of Virginia. Mr. von Daacke is also Co-Chair of the UVA President’s Commission on the University in the Age of Segregation and Co-Founder of Jefferson’s University—The Early Life project http://juel.iath.virginia.edu/. Speaker BiographyKirt von Daacke, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences, and Professor of History in the Corcoran Department of History in the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Kirt von Daacke is Assistant Dean and Professor in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia. A historian, he co-chaired the UVA President’s Commission on Slavery from 2013 to 2019 and now co-chairs the new UVA President’s Commission on the University in the Age of Segregation. He is the author of Freedom Has a Face: Race, Identity, and Community in Jefferson’s Virginia, co-author of the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University 2018 Report, a contributing author to the edited volume Educated in Tyranny: Slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s University, and is currently editing a new volume, After Emancipation: A History of Race, Community, and the University of Virginia. He also founded and leads “Jefferson’s University: The Early Life Project,” a major digital humanities initiative.