President Jordan Discusses Commemorative on recent webinar Gretchen Phillips December 05, 2024 - 3:53 pm
December 05, 2024
During the “Reimagining How and Why We Reckon” webinar Dec. 4, St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda C. Jordan said when physical evidence of slave quarters were discovered during an archaeological dig on the College's campus in Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland, she knew that honoring the enslaved that lived on the land and the importance of giving a voice to the voiceless was the right thing to do.
The webinar, hosted by Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, featured experts from three Chesapeake-based institutions of higher education--President Jordan; Andrea Robert, Associate Professor of Urban & Environmental Planning with the University of Virginia School of Architecture; and Jajuan Johnson, The College of William & Mary Lemon Project Public Historian for Research & Programs. Panelists spoke about reckoning with legacies of systemic racism and slavery through recent artworks which center around community healing.
Jordan spoke of the College's "From Absence to Presence: The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland." The Commemorative is an immersive art experience that honors the story of resilience, determination and persistence that defined the lives of the enslaved individuals that lived in St. Mary’s City between 1750 and 1815.
Jordan explained the Commemorative is aptly named because it helps to bring into focus the history overlooked when told from the perspective of the settlers. Jordan explained that the structure was designed to depict a slave cabin and its mirrored surfaces engraved with poetry using actual names and words from historical documents invite visitors to take pause and reflect on their role with the past and what might they do moving forward.
“There is peace there,” she said. “Many go there, including myself, and just ponder and reflect.”
Jordan emphasized the commemorative is for the community and that the campus and community from throughout Southern Maryland have been a part of the endeavor since its conception. She also emphasized it is not a memorial as that term has the tendency to evoke sadness.
“We want to commemorate the history of this place,” she said. “For us, it is about how to keep people engaged and wanting to understand our history and make sure things don’t happen again.”
"Reimagining How and Why We Reckon,” moderated by Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw, a 2004 Washington College graduate, is the second public expert presentation in the larger, free Maryland State Arts Council Public Art Across Maryland (PAAM) grant planning process.
December 05, 2024
During the “Reimagining How and Why We Reckon” webinar Dec. 4, St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda C. Jordan said when physical evidence of slave quarters were discovered during an archaeological dig on the College's campus in Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland, she knew that honoring the enslaved that lived on the land and the importance of giving a voice to the voiceless was the right thing to do.
The webinar, hosted by Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, featured experts from three Chesapeake-based institutions of higher education--President Jordan; Andrea Robert, Associate Professor of Urban & Environmental Planning with the University of Virginia School of Architecture; and Jajuan Johnson, The College of William & Mary Lemon Project Public Historian for Research & Programs. Panelists spoke about reckoning with legacies of systemic racism and slavery through recent artworks which center around community healing.
Jordan spoke of the College's "From Absence to Presence: The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland." The Commemorative is an immersive art experience that honors the story of resilience, determination and persistence that defined the lives of the enslaved individuals that lived in St. Mary’s City between 1750 and 1815.
Jordan explained the Commemorative is aptly named because it helps to bring into focus the history overlooked when told from the perspective of the settlers. Jordan explained that the structure was designed to depict a slave cabin and its mirrored surfaces engraved with poetry using actual names and words from historical documents invite visitors to take pause and reflect on their role with the past and what might they do moving forward.
“There is peace there,” she said. “Many go there, including myself, and just ponder and reflect.”
Jordan emphasized the commemorative is for the community and that the campus and community from throughout Southern Maryland have been a part of the endeavor since its conception. She also emphasized it is not a memorial as that term has the tendency to evoke sadness.
“We want to commemorate the history of this place,” she said. “For us, it is about how to keep people engaged and wanting to understand our history and make sure things don’t happen again.”
"Reimagining How and Why We Reckon,” moderated by Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw, a 2004 Washington College graduate, is the second public expert presentation in the larger, free Maryland State Arts Council Public Art Across Maryland (PAAM) grant planning process.