Memorial to Enslaved Persons Dedication

Remarks by Dr. Michael McFarland

“We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.” — Hebrews 12:1

Good Morning,

It is truly an honor to stand here today as we dedicate this memorial — a sacred space that acknowledges the courage, persistence, and enduring legacy of the enslaved men and women whose hands helped build Baylor University.

Today, we pause to remember the unseen and the unnamed — those who labored in the heat, carved the stone, cleared the land, and carried the burdens of others. Their names may not appear in Baylor’s official record, but their fingerprints are etched forever in the stones, the soil all over this campus. Their spirit is woven into the very fabric of this awesome institution. 

The scripture reminds us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses — men and women whose sacrifice and faith make it possible for us to stand where we stand today. Those witnesses are not simply figures of the distant past; they are the builders, the servants, and the enslaved whose silent endurance paved the way for the future we now enjoy.

There is an African proverb that says, “When you pray, move your feet.”

It means that faith without action is incomplete. The individuals we honor today lived that truth — they prayed with their hearts, but they moved with their hands. Though bound in body, they were unshaken in spirit. Though denied freedom, they built the foundation for it.

Growing up in East Texas, my father would often tell me, “Son, we drink from wells we did not dig, and we sit under shade trees we did not plant.” As a child, those words seemed simple. As a man, I now know they were sacred. He was teaching me gratitude — and responsibility. Gratitude for those whose work made my life possible, and responsibility to honor their sacrifice by leaving something better for those who come after me.

That is what this memorial represents. It is more than stone and steel; it is a testament to truth, courage, and reconciliation. It stands as a call to all of us to remember honestly, to live humbly, and to lead courageously.

It reminds us that Baylor’s story — like the story of our great nation — is both complicated and redemptive. It calls us not to turn away from painful truths, but to face them with courage, to persist in our pursuit of justice, and to honor those who labored in obscurity by ensuring that their descendants and all God’s children experience dignity and opportunity.

Today, we do not simply remember their suffering; we affirm their humanity. We do not just memorialize their labor; we celebrate their legacy.

This memorial stands as a testament to what is possible when a community chooses honesty over comfort, reconciliation over denial, and truth over silence.

This moment reflects Baylor at its best — willing to look back, not with shame, but with purpose; not to rewrite history, but to redeem it. 

May this memorial serve as a place of reflection and renewal — a place where every visitor is reminded that progress is born of persistence, that courage often comes from the unseen, and that the truest measure of a community is how it honors those who had no voice.

Let every person who visits this site be reminded that courage is born in struggle, that freedom is purchased through faith, and that legacy is sustained by love.

As we dedicate this space, let us commit to be builders of a more just and compassionate tomorrow — to live and lead in ways that ensure future generations can sit under the shade trees of our own faithful labor.

Thank you.

* Dr. Michael McFarland delivered these remarks during the official dedication of the Memorial to Enslaved Persons on November 7, 2025. Dr. McFarland serves as a member of the Baylor Board of Regents and also served as a member of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations.