A Place to Remember and Reflect Plans are underway for a fall dedication.
July 9, 2025
A contingent from Davidson College joined artist Hank Willis Thomas at the Walla Walla Foundry to review progress on the sculpture, shown here before application of the bronze patina.
The sculpture With These Hands: A Memorial to the Enslaved and Exploited is closer to completion, with a dedication event scheduled for fall 2025.
A site for contemplation and reverence, the memorial will emerge at the heart of Davidson’s campus and serve as a reminder of the college’s ongoing commitment to reckon with its history.
Rendering by Perkins&Will in collaboration with Hank Willis Thomas.
They could be the hands used to construct Oak and Elm. They could be the hands that took care of the first students at Davidson. They could be the hands that took care of me in 1976. This memorial serves as a perpetual acknowledgment of their enduring legacy and its impact on Davidson College.
The memorial is a collaboration between the college, artist Hank Willis Thomas, and the global architectural firm Perkins&Will. Work on the cast bronze sculpture was completed at the Walla Walla Foundry in Washington State and installation will take place during the summer months.
This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2025 print issue of the Davidson Journal Magazine; for more, please see the Davidson Journal section of our website.
