Schedule of Events (All Virtual)

Friday, April 9, 2021

12:00 p.m. Moment of Silence

Join President Ryan and the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA (DEC-UVA) wherever you are for a moment of silence. At this time, the water feature of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers will be turned on. As the Chapel bells ring, we will silently honor the enslaved who built the University, including those whose names are engraved and those whom we strive to identify.

6:00-7:00 p.m.: Inaugural Descendants Day

Join the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA for their first public event, a virtual panel discussion on Descendant Communities in Virginia, featuring Andrea Douglas, director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and co-chair of UVA’s President’s Commission on the University in the Age of Segregation; Jody Allen, director of The Lemon Project at the College of William & Mary, which addresses the school’s history with slavery; and Michael Blakey, a College of William & Mary professor who serves as a scholarly adviser to the Montpelier Descendant Committee.

For additional information and to register for the event, please visit https://www.descendantsuva.org/events. This event is free and open to the public. You do not need to be a descendant to attend.

Following the conclusion of the public event, there will be a brief descendants only session to provide more information for any attendee who believes they have free or enslaved ancestors in Central Virginia who may have worked at UVA.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

11:00 a.m.: The Official Dedication Ceremony for the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers

You can watch the virtual ceremony live and/or access a recording afterward on UVA's Live Streaming page or Facebook page

7:00 p.m.: Take 6 Concert
presented by the UVA IDEA Fund

Enjoy the extraordinary vocals of the most awarded a cappella group in history, Take 6, as they perform a special concert to commemorate the dedication of the Memorial.

You can watch the virtual concert live and/or access a recording afterward on UVA's Live Streaming page or Facebook page

8:30 p.m. Backstage with Take 6 and Friends!
presented by the UVA IDEA Fund

Following the concert, there will be a live Q&A session with Take 6 and special guests, accessible via Zoom. Register for this free event at Eventbrite.