Inspired by the limestone used on the original Baylor campus in Independence, which research indicates was built at least in part by enslaved people, the Memorial will have four distinct but connected ways to learn, understand and process Baylor’s history.
- A cascading water feature constructed of the same limestone used to build the University’s original campus in Independence;
- Foundational scriptures intended to remind visitors of the freedom all men and women have in Christ now and should have experienced when Baylor was founded in 1845;
- A population density map inlayed in the ground in front of the Memorial depicting the number of enslaved individuals in the counties where Baylor was, circa 1860, and is located; and
- A new Resonance Garden – to complement the iconic Sadie Jo Black Gardens and the Joy Reynolds Rose Gardens – for individual and collective reflection.
Created by renowned architectural firm Sasaki with input from the Campus Experience Project Team and student representatives, the Memorial is intentionally designed to break up the direct walkways on Founders Mall, symbolically bending the otherwise linear Baylor Line and drawing visitors into the experience.