As an institution founded in the South before the Civil War, Wake Forest University’s history is inextricably tied to enslavement and its enduring societal impacts. Recognizing the imperative to reexamine, transparently convey, and teach about its complex past, the University has partnered with Baskervill to create a memorial to honor the enslaved people who worked for, or were sold to benefit, Wake Forest College. The envisioned memorial is intended to serve as a dedicated space for reflection and remembrance, but also as a hallowed physical space – one that illuminates the past while offering space for teaching and healing to help shape the future.

Community engagement is set to begin in fall 2023, with the Campus Memorialization Steering Committee presenting its memorial design recommendations to the University in spring 2024.