Memorial To Enslaved Laborers: Recognizing UVA’s History (in-person)

Overview

Over the past decade, U.S. colleges and universities have begun paying greater attention to the historical role of slavery in 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 complete. 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 Biography

Kirt von Daacke, Assistant Dean and Professor of History, A&S

Kirt von Daacke is 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 at the University of Virginia. His research centers upon social constructions of race, community social hierarchies, and identity in eighteenth and nineteenth-century America. He is especially fascinated with studying the complex interplay of race and culture in the antebellum South. His first book, Freedom Has a Face: Race, Identity, and Community in Jefferson's Albemarle, 1780-1865, was published by the University of Virginia Press in 2012. He has also begun research for a second book-length project examining the history of a nineteenth-century interracial island fishing community in coastal Maine.

Additionally, von Daacke is excited to co-chair the UVA President's Commission on Slavery and the University. His scholarly interests grew from his experience as an undergraduate history major at the University of Virginia, where so many of his professors challenged and inspired him as a thinker and scholar, both inside and outside the classroom. He is excited to have returned to UVA and to have the opportunity to guide current University students as they discover and pursue their academic interests.

This special opportunity is for local UVA alumni, parents, friends, and families. The Lifetime Learning Program and the Alumni Association collaborate to offer a unique educational experience during Reunions Weekends. Selected Reunions Seminars are free and open for you to attend. Seminars are held in Charlottesville on the University’s Grounds.