WELCOME to
SEWANEE PRAISES
SEWANEE PRAISES
is a collaborative public humanities initiative involving teams of architecture and design students and faculty from Virginia Commonwealth and Virginia Tech universities in partnership with the people of Sewanee's historic African American neighborhoods, and supported by the University of the South’s Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation.
OUR GOAL
is to design and construct a commemorative structure — a gathering place — on the site of the segregated Kennerly School, built in 1949 and demolished in 2010.
OUR MISSION & VISION
are to recognize and honor the history of Sewanee's Black St. Mark's community.
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About our logo and website color scheme:
The Sewanee Praises logo was inspired by the temporary memorial for the St. Mark’s community that interior design students at Virginia Commonwealth University created during the week they spent with community residents and descendants in May 2024. Residents expressed their wish for the ultimate memorial to incorporate in some way the light and color of the University’s dazzling stained glass windows. The VCU students translated that wish into the temporary memorial they erected on the Kennerly School site. To view that structure, click the link above to the PROGRESS page.