Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial

Students Make it Possible

The ECGM project was inaugurated in the summer of 2017 by five selected undergraduates: Alexis Bracey, Global Affairs; Kye Farrow, History; Ayman Fatima, Government & International Politics; Elizabeth Perez-Garcia, Criminology, Law & Society; and Farhaj Murshed, Community Health. Each student worked on a specific topic that advanced the overarching goals of the project.

Memorial Co-Creators: Wendi Manuel-Scott, Benedict Carton, George Oberle, Cathy Wolfe-Pinskey, Stephanie Wolfgang, Frank Strike, Rick Davis, Donald Russell, Julian Williams

Faculty Partners: Other faculty partners included Jennifer Ritterhouse, Rosemarie Zagarri, and Spencer Crew.

Student Body: Honors College Black Ambition, is recognized as a vital creator of the ECGM project.

Professor Gabrielle Tayac pours water from the Potomac into the Wilkins Plaza<br /> fountain, which contains stones in a pattern that symbolize an African custom of gathering<br /> and prayer, in a ceremony acknowledging that the land on which the university was built<br /> was originally inhabited by indigenous people.
Professor Gabrielle Tayac pours water from the Potomac into the Wilkins Plaza fountain, which contains stones in a pattern that symbolize an African custom of gathering and prayer, in a ceremony acknowledging that the land on which the university was built was originally inhabited by indigenous people.

Why Remember?

The Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial acknowledges the complex and interconnected history of American slavery and freedom symbolized in the lives of the Revolutionary founder and our namesake, George Mason, who espoused ideas of liberty while enslaving over one hundred people including men, women, and children. This memorial seeks to be a place of remembrance, reflection, and learning.

Learn More

Exploring Complicated Pasts

The project’s research results are showcased in an online exhibit created on the Omeka platform, and the project’s broader goals have been realized: initializing discussions about the impact of slavery on higher education institutions, seeing the work of the project expand, and recognizing the enslaved individuals of Gunston Hall with a campus memorial.

Mason INTO students reading engaging with the EPGM Memorial during a tour led<br /> by Professor Steven Harris-Scott in 2022.
Mason INTO students reading engaging with the EPGM Memorial during a tour led by Professor Steven Harris-Scott in 2022.