The ''Slavery Memorial'' is a sculptural memorial on the campus of

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

that recognizes the institution's 18th century connections to chattel slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. Designed by sculptor

Martin Puryear Martin L. Puryear (born May 23, 1941) is an American artist known for his devotion to traditional craft. Working in wood and bronze, among other media, his reductive technique and meditative approach challenge the physical and poetic boundaries ...

and dedicated in 2014, the memorial stands on the university's Front Green, adjacent to University Hall.

Description

Constructed of ductile cast iron, the ''Slavery Memorial'' depicts a cast-iron ball and chain partially buried underground; the third link of the chain is broken in two. A granite plaque in front of the memorial reads:

History

In 2003, then-university president Ruth Simmons launched a steering committee to research Brown's 18th century ties to slavery. In October 2006, the committee released a report documenting its findings. The university established a commission in July of the following year to consider how best to fulfill the report's recommendation of creating a "living site of memory." The commission studied a number of existing memorials including the

Civil Rights Memorial The Civil Rights Memorial is an American memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, created by Maya Lin. The names of 41 people are inscribed on the granite fountain as martyrs who were killed in the civil rights movement. The memorial is sponsored by t ...

African Burial Ground National Monument African Burial Ground National Monument is a monument at Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way (Elk Street) in the Civic Center section of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Its main building is the Ted Weiss Federal Building at 290 Broadway. ...

, and Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery. In 2012, the university's governing body voted unanimously to award Martin Puryear the commission to design a sculptural memorial on Brown's campus. The university originally considered placing the memorial in the Jewelry District, adjacent to Brown's then-planned medical campus. A university committee ultimately chose to locate the memorial on the Front Green of Brown's main campus given its highly visible location and proximity to University Hall, which was constructed in part by enslaved laborers. The memorial was installed in the summer of 2014 and dedicated by president

Christina Paxson Christina Hull Paxson (born February 6, 1960) is an American economist and public health expert serving as the 19th president of Brown University. Previously, she was the Hughes Rogers Professor of Economics & Public Affairs at Princeton Univers ...

on September 27 of the same year.

Description

History

References

See also