Members of Student Council's Diversity Initiatives Committee, the Black Student Alliance, the Organization of African Students and the University's chapter of the NAACP hosted a public forum Wednesday to reignite student interest in the long-discussed proposal to dedicate a memorial site to the enslaved laborers who participated in the construction of the University. Although Council passed a resolution two years ago expressing support for this project, and a competition was held this past spring to solicit design ideas for the potential memorial, the campaign remains a long way from realizing its ultimate goal. Therefore, the Memorial for Enslaved Laborers Committee, which comprises the various student leaders who organized Wednesday's event, must begin engaging in serious fundraising operations while maintaining its outreach activities so that the commendable concept it has put forth may become a reality.
Given that enslaved labor played such a significant part in the University's construction, it is important that it receive due recognition. Unfortunately, the small memorial plaque that currently exists at the corner of the Rotunda is not prominent enough to accomplish this purpose. When students and visitors come to the University, its renowned architectural achievements are among the most noticeable features they encounter. Without a correspondingly conspicuous commemoration of the slave labor that made these feats possible, the University cannot claim to be doing justice to an unsavory but fundamental aspect of its history.
Nevertheless, the University's present budget constraints mean that asking it to fund the construction of a new memorial might not be the best approach on the committee's part. After all, every new project the University undertakes increases the likelihood of tuition increases or cutbacks in other areas such as financial aid. These possible unintended consequences of a University-funded memorial would have a severe negative impact upon minorities, who disproportionately come from low-income backgrounds at least in part because of the nation's legacy of slavery and racial discrimination.
Thus, the committee must turn to outside sources for the money necessary to build a memorial. Committee Chair Annacrizelda Funtelar indicated that this is on the group's agenda, although it has not yet moved beyond focusing on educational outreach. "Right now, we're in the stages of raising awareness," she said. "We haven't really started any fundraising." She added, however, that the committee is "gathering information so we have something coherent to present to a [potential funding source]."
This is a smart approach, but the committee also would do well to begin a grassroots fundraising effort similar to the one initiated by Lawn and Range residents who are seeking money for repairs to their fireplaces. That campaign has raised a little more than $344,000 in less than a month through its website and contacts with alumni. If the committee were to engage in similar activities, it could yield the seed money necessary to show larger funding sources that the project is getting off the ground as a result of popular support among students, alumni and community members.
Despite the fact that the University cannot be expected to fund the project at the present time because of its commitment to keeping tuition affordable and financial aid adequate, the completion of a memorial to enslaved laborers might actually produce financial benefits in the future. If visitors, students and alumni were made aware of the legacy of slavery at the University, they might be more likely to fund scholarships and other financial aid mechanisms that would benefit minorities who currently are struggling to afford a college education. The administration should recognize this possibility, as well as the University's debt to those who were never compensated in their lifetime for constructing it, and should lend their support to the committee's efforts as they move forward.
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