MEMORY MARKS
A STUDENT-PRODUCED PODCAST ABOUT THE MEMORIAL TO ENSLAVED LABORERS AND THE LEGACY OF SLAVERY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
EPISODE 1: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
Production Team: Annie Cao, Erica Cummings, August Lamb, Ashley Thompson
This episode explores the dark history of the spaces that UVA students interact with on a daily basis. We investigate the history of some well-known buildings, the people they were named after, and what their presence means for UVA going forward.
EPISODE 2: “MORE THAN WORDS, MORE THAN SYMBOLS”
Production Team: Abigail Grable, Tristan Guarnieri, Jesse Lynch, Alejandro Waquin
This episode focuses on several of the individuals who built the university, the process of finding and adding names to the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers (MEL), and how the presence of the MEL impacts the Charlottesville community.
EPISODE 3: THE TALE OF TWO MELS
Production Team: Byron Bleuze, Jesse Brouillette, Yumna Rahman, Jeffrey Richbart
This episode reveals the story of how the MEL came to be. We examine the decisions that led to the creation of the memorial and the crucial (often unacknowledged) role that students played in making the MEL a reality.
EPISODE 4: NONLINEAR PROGRESS
Production Team: Yixuan Chen, Cabrel Happi, Heba Imam, Shakeel Panjwani
This episode traces Charlottesville’s and UVA’s nonlinear progress in addressing racial injustices and inequities, demonstrating how the past is still very much alive in our present moment.
AUDIO COLLAGE: BEHIND THE SOUNDS
Students were asked to record themselves talking about what they learned this semester. Here’s what they had to say.
ABOUT THE CLASS: “Writing with Sound”
In this collaborative, project-based course, students learn to script, design, edit, and produce original podcast episodes. For the Fall 2021 semester, in addition to reading about and practicing professional audio storytelling techniques (e.g. interviewing, writing for the ear, sound design), students research and reflect upon the history of slavery at the University of Virginia—including its connections to present day racism and white supremacy in Charlottesville and beyond.
Course Website: https://enwrpodcast.wordpress.com/.