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About the Commemorative

Honoring the Enslaved > About the Commemorative
The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland provides visitors with the space to acknowledge and learn from the lives of those who once toiled here, while providing a place for reflection and introspection about the nature of slavery and its connections to modern society.

Learn and
Reflect with Us

So we may better understand the world in which we live, it is important to learn from and reflect upon the experiences of people who were enslaved and had to fight for their freedom.

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Inspiration

Through historical documents, archaeological research, and slave folklore, the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland acknowledges the past while honoring the enslaved people who lived on this land, recontextualizing how we examine our shared history. The inclusion of erasure poetry on a structure inspired by the “ghost frame” architecture at Historic St. Mary’s City provides an opportunity to change the dialogue around slavery in Southern Maryland.

The “ghost frames” at St. Mary’s City provide inspiration for the Commemorative’s structure as they are not fully formed buildings but placeholders, evoking a feeling of being caught in between — in time and space. They capture the idea of transition and of incompleteness, of being here but not here. They signify a far-away past, but also suggest there is much more waiting for us to experience and understand.

A commemorative can be a reflective piece, but it can call you to action and make you think about something that is positive there. It can affect how you live your life going forward.”

-President Emerita Tuajuanda C. Jordan

Unlike a fully recreated artifact such as whole slave cabins and villages erected to provide the public with a glimpse into historical life — the Commemorative invites us to fill in the blanks. The Commemorative uses the slave quarter as a symbol of resilience, determination, and persistence. This message is reinforced by our inability to enter the Commemorative structure. As the slave quarters shielded the lives of the slaves from the enslavers, acting as both a refuge and a prison, the Commemorative too shields this private space. Not only can we not see inside but the structure reflects our gaze back on us. It does not remove us from everyday life as a historical village might, but allows us to contemplate how slavery affects us today: our biases, our legislation, how our government works, and how we as a nation deal with this very difficult past. It begs us to interpret these experiences through many different lenses.

The field and surrounding natural environment are living evidence of the plantation that once existed here. With this knowledge, the choice to build the Commemorative in this field and next to the Jamie L. Robert Stadium was deliberate. In addition to being only a few paces from where the original cabin stood, the Commemorative sits along the path that visitors use to go to games and events at the stadium. Placed where it is, it is impossible to ignore — proof that the lives the Commemorative seeks to honor are no longer buried beneath an athletic field. At night, the field acts as a canvas for the light that radiates out of the Commemorative, acting as an eternal vigil to the enslaved people who once lived, loved, worked, and resisted in this place.

Revealing the Power of Erasure Poetry

Erasure poetry is a form of found poetry that is created by erasing, or redacting, words from an existing piece of prose or verse. The redactions allow poets to create symbolism while also putting a focus on the social and political meanings of erasure. New questions, suggestions, and meanings in existing pieces of writing are revealed through erasure poetry.

The erasure poetry that covers the structure is adapted from historical documents related to the Mackall-Brome plantation — one of three known plantations located on the land around St. Mary’s City. These documents include slave property and runaway slave advertisements, newspaper articles, and slave depositions of the Mackall-Brome family. These poems become the walls and roof of the structure revealing powerful stories hidden within the language of a dark past.

Uncovering New Meaning

The Commemorative is a unique and immersive piece of art. Explore some of the poetry written by Quenton Baker that makes up the walls, roof, and chimney of the structure.

Listen to All Poems

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Going through the exercise of erasing certain elements of those documents, you're engaging history. You are embracing history. But at the same time, you're critiquing history.”

-Dr. Jeffrey Coleman

Symbols of Resistance

Illuminated from within at night, the poetry is projected onto the ground surrounding the Commemorative, mimicking the star-like pattern found on a number of ceramic artifacts discovered during the College’s archaeological investigation. This effect points to the theory discussed by experts that the star-like pattern symbolizes the web of Anansi, the African folklore character. Anansi’s web represents resistance of the plantation system and slavery in the New World. The light projecting from the Commemorative at night also serves as a beacon, or North Star, representing the journey north to lasting freedom.

A small, irregularly-shaped ceramic fragment with faint blue markings, placed above a measurement scale showing inches and centimeters on a black background.
We engaged in a lot of public outreach and compiled the responses of the public — both online and through presentations with the public, with the students, with the faculty and staff. Folks overwhelmingly said that they wanted a commemorative that was contemplative, that was respectful, that caused people to really stop and think.”

-Kent Randall

Focusing on Reflection

Many were surprised by the location chosen for the Commemorative. But there was a very intentional reason why it was built on land that was supposed to become athletic fields. “Because you can’t ignore it,” said then President Tuajuanda C. Jordan. “When people are going through those athletic fields, it is there in their face. I want that to give them pause and wonder, why is this here?”

Honoring the Resilience of Enslaved People

Construction of the Commemorative

Through the selection process, and considering feedback from students, faculty, staff and community members, the Commemorative selection committee contracted the firm RE:site to design the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland.

The contrast of historical and modern between the Commemoration and the new Jamie L. Roberts Stadium creates a tension, causing us to pause and reflect on the institution of slavery and how we as Americans are connected to this history.

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The structure measures about 20 feet long and 15 feet deep and is encircled by a wide footpath and natural grass. Its construction was intended to stand the test of time with a steel framework clad with panels of polished mirror stainless steel and tropical hardwood. It resists weathering, rot, abrasion, and insects.

Like a lighthouse (or the North Star) the lighting system serves as a beacon, using intricate lenses and positioning to shape the light it emits. The result is an ethereal stencil of light beams, projecting the poetry on all sides.

Construction of the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland began in July 2019. The project was completed on October 31, 2020 and opened to the public on November 21, 2020.

About the Artists

Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee, RE:site Studio
Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee, RE:site Studio

Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee are the co-founders of RE:site, an art studio that explores notions of community, identity, and narrative in the context of public space. Allbritton has 20 years of experience designing interpretive spaces and interactives for cultural institutions. She is a visual storyteller versed in a range of media, including large scale murals, sculpture painting, wayfinding and design. Lee began his career as an interpretative environment designer in 2003 and was a finalist in the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition. His work has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, the Houston Chronicle, Art in America, and other publications.

“We envision the Commemorative connecting our lives with the lives of slaves and causing us to pause and reflect on how we as Americans are connected to this history.”

In an interview with Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee, the creators behind the commemorative, they spoke of their challenge to make the commemorative as relevant to the landscape as it was to the conversations about slavery.

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Quenton
Quenton Baker

Quenton Baker is a poet, educator, and Cave Canem fellow. His current focus is Black interiority and the afterlife of slavery. Baker has an MFA in poetry from the University of Southern Maine and is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. His work has appeared in The Offing, Jubilat, Vinyl, The Rumpus and other publications.

“I would love the Commemorative to be a possibility, the beginning of an investigative process, a reason to ask questions about what it means to live in a country capable of starting its history as this one did, with stolen land and stolen bodies.”
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A collection of artifacts against a black background.

Learn about the archaeological findings that led to the Commemorative and what College anthropologists discovered during their survey. Read the Story

Aerial view of a coastal area with a small peninsula. There are numerous tents and structures on open grassy fields, surrounded by trees. Boats are anchored in the water nearby. A road and several parked cars are visible on the right.

Experience the virtual dedication of the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland. Visit the Commemorative
Visit The Commemorative

illustration of the Commemorative during the night

See the Commemorative on the St. Mary’s College campus and learn and reflect with us. Location and Directions