TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – The University of Alabama is opening an exhibit that looks into the history of slavery on the campus in Tuscaloosa.
An opening event is scheduled on Thursday evening at Gorgas Library for “Unchaining Alabama.” The temporary display is based on work by a senior at Alabama, Benjamin Flax.
Flax is researching the university’s ties to antebellum slavery as part of an independent research project. He is using 40 original documents, transcriptions and other research materials in his work.
Alabama was founded in 1831, when slavery was the norm across the South. Previous research found that two university presidents and some faculty members owned slaves, and several of the oldest buildings on campus contain bricks made by slaves.
The Faculty Senate apologized for the university’s role in slavery a decade ago.
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