��������

The monument is the centerpiece of ��������'s Art Remediating Campus Histories (ARCH) project, done in partnership with , and honors the lives and labor of Black staff members who worked on campus during the early 20th century. The project arose from an exploration of exclusionary histories on campus. 

“Don't Forget to Remember (Me)” embeds braid-patterned pathways made of more than 9,000 pavers into the Cloister’s courtyard ground to form the shape of a knot around the central fountain.  Nearly 250 of the pavers are engraved with the names of Black maids, porters, and domestic staff employed at �������� from approximately 1900 to 1940, many of whom have long gone unrecognized in the institution’s official history. Illuminated glass pavers interspersed throughout the design represent those whose names have been lost to time. 

At the unveiling on Thursday, April 24, Youba Cissokho's kora performance set the mood for a night of spellbinding performances and poignant remarks as guests entered the Cloisters. 

Once the audience was seated, Associate Professor Airea D. Matthews shared a poem entitled "Don't Forget to Remember."

"Don’t forget to remember: 
the young women like Etta 

who bade their family goodbye, 

speaking tongues of ghosts from future  

or Nellie, Sarah, and Braxton carrying  

valises packed tighter than an AME  

pew on Easter, who left home 

in Spring for elsewhere, bundled 

in cotton and grit."  -- read all of "Don't Forget to Rembember."

Associate Professor Monique Scott, who served as faculty director of the ARCH project, gave welcoming remarks and �������� President Wendy Cadge, co-chair Millie Bond '05, ARCH student researcher Annalise Ashman ’24, M.A. ’25, and Durrett all spoke. 

Scott praised the contributions of the many individuals who helped guide the ARCH project —and returned to campus for the dedication—including former President Kim Cassidy, former Secretary of the College Ruth Lindeborg, several faculty members, and some of the students who pushed for a more inclusive history-telling by the College. 

President Wendy Cadge called the monument “a bridge from the past to the future,” adding: 

“Through it, we strive to remember, in the fullest sense of the word, to tell a richer, more honest, and more complete story about who we are, and most especially, who we aim to be.” 

“This is the beginning of a story, but decidedly not the end,” she added. “Our presence here today represents a collective commitment to continuing to raise up the personal experiences comprising the rich fabric that is ��������.  As future students, faculty, and staff members enter this space going forward, they will do so knowing that they, too, are part of the story of ��������.” 

For Ashman, the unveiling event marked the end of three years of work on the project; 

“In November of 2021, when I first joined the project as a research assistant,” she said, “I had no idea the weight of the histories that would be uncovered, nor did I anticipate the invaluable effect that these stories would have on my own trajectory as a student and leader within the community, forever leaving a lasting impact on my approach to research, curation, and storytelling.” 

Durrett, who had spoken at several events on campus in the days leading to the unveiling, kept her remarks relatively brief, thanking many of the contractors she’d worked with on the project who were in attendance, including Steven Blankenbender of Tayor Clay, which provided the pavers, and Chris Stark of Imperial Paving, who laid the pavers.  

She also thanked the �������� community for its bravery in examining its history and for allowing her freedom to create a work that didn’t compromise her vision. 

“There was just so much work that came before I got here, so much work to open the door and crack the window to even the suggestion of this idea,” she said. “Someone said last night they described me as a conduit, and that is kind of like what it feels like. It just seems like I'm just listening to this quiet, to this powerful quiet…Thank you for welcoming me and making me feel a part of this campus community.”  

 As the speakers wrapped up their remarks, the sun began to slip under the horizon, the illuminated pavers began to shine, and an all-star choir made up of V. Shayne Frederick, Desmond Boyer, Jakeya Limitless, Seraiah Nicole, and Taylor Samuels performed soulful renditions of "Lean on Me" and two other songs to close out the evening’s main programming. 

“I think this space will be used a lot more and in different ways,” said Blanca Berger Sollod ’26, who attended the unveiling. “People might hold classes here. People might just come here to look at the art, hang out in the beautiful space, and read the names. I think for sure this space will be used as a point of education a lot more, which would be really cool.” 

Emma Kioko ’15 and Grace Pusey ’15, the student founders of the Black at �������� tour, were also among those who attended the event. 

“I was telling Emma earlier that I feel like the research that we did for the tours was very much focused on being impeccably truthful, impeccably accurate, because we were establishing truth claims about the history of the college,” said Pusey. “This is a step towards real healing, and this is just a different emotional shift for this space.” 

Gabrielle Bernadine Smith ’17 remembered sneaking onto the roof of the Cloisters as a student and looking down at the courtyard. 

"I love how this piece of art is moving us physically as well as emotionally, and I hope that this keeps us going in the right direction, so that generations to come, we continue to honor our ancestors, but also honor the type of people and the type of community that we want to be," Smith said. 

Installed in the iconic Cloisters courtyard of the College’s Old Library at the center of campus, “Don't Forget to Remember (Me)” is the culmination of the College’s five-year ARCH Project (Art Remediating Campus Histories), created in partnership with