Commemoration of the Enslaved to take place April 25

April 20, 2023

Members of the Wake Forest University community will gather April 25 on the steps of Wait Chapel to remember and honor the enslaved individuals who worked for or were sold to benefit the University.  “Remember with Us:  Commemoration of the Enslaved” begins at 4:30 p.m. 

Faculty, students and alumni will read the names of those enslaved individuals aloud. 

“This commemoration is intended to be both reflective and centering, at once reminding us that many who directly or indirectly labored on behalf of this university have not been fully recognized, while also challenging us to do all that we can to build a more just society,” said José Villalba, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion.

Originally called the Reading of the Names Ceremony and now referred to as the Commemoration of the Enslaved, the event was started by students in Wake Forest’s Department of Sociology, in collaboration with School of Divinity students, who on May 7, 2019, gathered for the first time on the steps of Wait Chapel to remember the enslaved individuals who were sold by or worked for Wake Forest. 

This year’s event is sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.