Photo

of

the

day:

‘With

These

Hands’

Davidson College welcomed a new sculpture to its campus in the form of “With These Hands,” a memorial to the enslaved people who made bricks used to construct the school almost two centuries ago.

Why it matters: The statue is part of Davidson’s ongoing effort to confront the quiet-kept part of its history.

In 2017, Davidson established the Commission on Race and Slavery, an initiative to examine the school’s ties to slavery.

The sculpture, by Brooklyn, N.Y., artist Hank Willis Thomas, features two “work-worn” hands located among four campus buildings built by enslaved people in the mid-1800s.

The commission was headed by former Charlotte mayor and 1993 Davidson graduate Anthony Fox. It also included students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and community members.