ABSTRACT
This chapter features interviews conducted with designers and architects who worked on memorial projects that unearth and acknowledge institutional histories that are intertwined with human rights and systemic oppression. Examples of this type of memorial abound, especially with recent efforts to acknowledge institutional connections to the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement and exploitation of Black Americans. Memorials highlighted in this chapter include Miami University's Freedom Summer Memorial, University of Virginia's Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Asylum Hill Project. Research participants were memorial champions, designers, and architects for these projects; interviews focused on decisions in the design process about topics such as location, scale, functionality, symbolism, historical accuracy, artistry, and aesthetics. These conversations inherently led to discussions of the primary memorial audiences and helps illustrate that the memorialization process must consider and acknowledge that the disparate interpretations and the deeply contrasting perspectives highlighted in Chapter 4 often coexist.
