SIF158  Memorial to Enslaved Laborers

Project Manager: Mark Luellen

The purpose of this award is to provide 1:1 matching funds to gifts received toward the construction of a memorial to honor the enslaved African Americans who built and sustained the University from its beginning.

BoV Approved: August 2018

Project Dates: 8/07/2018 – 12/31/2019

Total Funding: $2,500,000

Executive Summary

In August 2018 at the Board of Visitors retreat, it was decided to dedicate up to $2.5 million from the Strategic Investment Fund to match, one-for-one, gifts and commitments of any size for the construction of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers pledged between August 7, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

Current Status: Completed

Achievements

This award was formally reviewed by the PAC at its June 2020 meeting. The Memorial was completed on time and an inauguration event was held in April 2020.  It was deemed a successful project, in that the SIF funding successfully incentivized philanthropic giving and helped to build this tribute to the many African American lives that built and sustained the University. The PAC encouraged the project team to pursue its stated ongoing goals of providing educational programming related to the monument in order to enhance the visibility of the memorial and its impact on all visitors.