Race and Repair at the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia…

was founded in 1819 by former President of the United States Thomas Jefferson. In the waning years of his life, Jefferson sought to put into practice his life long visions for education. Mr. Jefferson’s University, as it became known, grew to be one of the most respected institutions of higher education, first in the South, then in the United States. For all of its innovations in higher education and its success in training generations of leaders, the University was a product of the antebellum South. Throughout its long and storied history, the University has grappled with issues of slavery, race, and repair from the those historic inequities.

This project seeks to unearth some of the history of the University of Virginia showing ways that issues of race are deeply connected to the University, and how the University continues to deal with them today.