Student Council's Diversity Initiatives Committee hosted a forum titled, "The Slave Experience at U.Va: uncovering the truth" last Monday.
Prof. Ervin Jordan, History Prof. Phyllis Leffler and History Prof. Scot French gave presentations about the lives of black people at the University and Charlottesville before the Civil War. University and Community Action for Racial Equity and the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies organized the event, which also included a question and answer period.\nThe event commenced with a short speech summarizing the results of a survey gauging student knowledge of the existence of the slavery memorial located under the Rotunda. The majority of respondents said they knew slavery had taken place at the University but did not know about the memorial commemorating those slaves.
"African-American history is not for the squeamish," said Jordan, who serves as a research archivist and agency records manager for the library system and added that he has had to file eight official complaints about racism directed toward him during his 31 years at the University.
Jordan also reminded forum participants that the first black residents of the University were slaves, while later generations were paid laborers. Events such as the construction of the Gooch and Dillard dormitories are also related to this legacy, as the University constructed those buildings despite warnings from the Maury family that the land was a slave grave site, he said.
When black students finally began attending the University, Leffler said it was the Charlottesville community that was the first to embrace them. She added that the black staff members also assisted these students in numerous ways, from giving them extra helpings of pork loin to opening up classrooms for them to study in a peaceful environment and away from any potential hostility.
Seth Kaye, a member of the Committee who attended the event, expressed his surprise about all he learned from the forum.
"I really had no clue about all the dirty details that were mentioned," he said, adding that the event went well past what one would learn in high school history class.
Kaye said the event's success also has paved the way for a variety of focus groups because it has potentially opened discussion about the slave memorial beneath the Rotunda.
Overall, Committee member Ishraga Eltahir said the event was "a great success, just judging by the number and diversity of the people who showed up," adding that the Committee has received nothing but positive feedback. The forum's success could even be used as a launch pad for future educational initiatives, Eltahir said.
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