Project Timeline

Fall 2021–Fall 2022

Collective Visioning

In fall 2021, President Emeritus Greg Fenves charged the Twin Memorials Working Group with imagining how the university could memorialize the lives and contributions of enslaved people in Emory’s history. 

The Working Group initiated the first stages of engagement, hosting dozens of listening sessions in Atlanta and Oxford with hundreds of descendants, students, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and community partners. These sessions educated community members on the history driving the calls for memorialization and collected the community’s aspirations for the memorials. 

At the conclusion of fall 2022, the group issued a report of recommended actions, which offered a Collective Vision based on key takeaways from community input. 

Visioning Engagement Sessions

Oxford
  • February 3, 2022 | Phi Gamma Hall
  • February 4, 2022 | Oxford College Student Center and Phi Gamma Hall
  • February 17, 2022 | Oxford College Student Center
  • September 12, 2022 | Oxford College Student Center
  • September 13, 2022| Oxford College Student Center
Atlanta
  • February 18, 2022 | Emory Student Center and Candler School of Theology
  • March 16, 2022 | Cox Hall
  • March 17, 2022 | Emory Student Center and Woodruff Library
  • March 31, 2022 | Emory Student Center and Woodruff Library
  • September 14, 2022| Emory Student Center and Carlos Museum
  • September 15, 2022| The Hatchery at Emory Point
Off-Campus
  • February 3, 2022 | Mt. Zion Baptist Church
  • March 3, 2022 | Virtual
  • March 16, 2022 | Ebenezer Baptist Church
  • March 24, 2022 | Virtual
  • March 30, 2022 | Manuel’s Tavern
  • September 13, 2022| Mt. Zion First Baptist Church
  • September 15, 2022| Ebenezer Baptist Church
Members of a listening session watching a presentation

Spring 2023–Spring 2024

Form Exploration

Building on the Collective Vision, Emory partnered with an architectural design consultant to guide the community in envisioning a design. This process included discussion of what memorialization forms, elements, and materials could depict Emory’s story. The Emerging Ideas Showcases in Oxford and Atlanta offered space for each campus and its neighboring communities to view and react to diverse memorialization strategies informed by these discussions.

Form Engagement Sessions

Oxford

  • October 17, 2023 | Oxford Campus
  • November 10, 2023 | Oxford College Student Center
Atlanta
  • November 9, 2023 | Cox Hall and Miller-Ward Alumni House
  • February 4, 2024 | Miller-Ward Alumni House
  • February 5, 2024 | Convocation Hall
  • February 6, 2024 | Convocation Hall and Miller-Ward Alumni House
Off-Campus
  • October 24, 2023 | Virtual
  • November 30, 2023 | Virtual
  • December 12, 2023 | Virtual
  • December 13, 2023 | Virtual

Emerging Ideas Showcase

Oxford
  • March 27, 2024 | Oxford College Library
Atlanta
  • March 28, 2024 | The Hatchery at Emory Point
Oxford College Emerging Ideas Showcase

Spring 2025

Narrative Discovery and Framing

The Twin Memorials Story Summit was hosted at the Miller-Ward Alumni House on February 28, 2025. Oxford and Atlanta faculty, researchers, administrators, and community members contributed their knowledge and expertise during collaborative discussions and presentations to refine the narrative components of the memorials. This event marked a pivotal step in outlining the unique parts of Emory’s story to shape the next iteration of the memorials’ design. 


2026

Check back for updates!

Share Your Thoughts

Community input and participation continue to be essential to the development of Twin Memorials. We'd like to hear your thoughts on the project. Visit this page for updates to the project.
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