Adult Forum: Engaging with the Legacies of George Mason

George Mason University established in the post-World War 2 era during the period of explosive growth in the northern Virginia region seems to be an unlikely site for a reckoning with the region’s history of slavery. Starting in 2016, students began to ask questions about the George Mason University’s namesakes’ role as an enslaver resulting in a campus-wide conversation about the legacy of George Mason and slavery on our institution and our region. The result was the establishment of the Center for Mason Legacies and a memorial in the middle of our campus to the enslaved people of George Mason at Gunston Hall. This talk will describe the journey we took to decide to keep our name and the statue honoring Mason’s important contributions to American history as well as recognizing our country’s ongoing reckoning with racism.