On November 5, 2005, the University dedicated this memorial to honor the countless enslaved and free African Americans who contributed their labor and service to the campus. A gift of the Class of 2002 and created by artist Do Ho Suh, the piece features bronze figures holding a stone table surrounded by five stone seats. Suh, inspired by his visits to the campus and conversations with students, was influenced by the simple stones marking the graves of unknown African Americans in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery. He designed the memorial with the intent to draw people in, saying, “When you touch it and sit on it and use it, you become part of it symbolically and metaphorically.”
The University chose to locate this artwork in McCorkle Place because of its historical significance to the campus and the broader community. The central inscription reads, "The Class of 2002 honors the University's unsung founders, the people of color, bond and free, who helped build the Carolina that we cherish today."
Created by Do-Ho Su (2005).