MEMORIAL TO ENSLAVED LABORERS — Local services in Virginia

A visit to Jefferson’s Grounds absolutely must be augmented with a visit to this important and sobering memorial. It is simple - a stone sloping wall, etched with the names of the people we have records of, and with a blank space for those we knew existed but for whom we have no names. Facing upwards is the history of slavery at the University - stories that remind us that these were human beings who fought and struggled to live and be free, and who the University fought back against with the force of the law. We must not fail to remind ourselves that without the hundreds of enslaved people working on the university and Jefferson’s home, there would be no UVA, no Monticello, and, really, no Jefferson. It is a harsh reality that contravenes the stories about the Founding Fathers that so many of us grew up with, but to ignore it does a disservice to the many lives taken and forced into labor. Jefferson was a genius, and architect, and a great statesman, but he owned human beings in order to make money and carry out his creative visions. You can do your best to separate the architecture from the man, and the man from the actions, but you will only be lying to yourself. Confronting American history takes courage. This memorial is...

A nicely done memorial, acknowledging some unpleasant truths aboerut UVA's history and slavery. I appreciate how it stands out, but ges the messsage across in a subtle - though still powerful way - like the harsh reality of the wall with underscores reserved for peoples names, but are frequently blank or filled in with generic titles; mother, father, brickmason... And definitely spend time reading the inscriptions on the inner circle to get glimpses of life...

If visiting Charlottesville and especially UVA, this memorial is a must see. The combination of the names, dates, historical marker moments, and the running water make for a powerful and poignant display of a darker side of the university's history and pay tribute to the enslaved laborers who...