When VA250 Honorary Chair Carly Fiorina sought a campus discussion going beyond "convenient legends" to tell "the full story" of our nation's upcoming anniversary, CML and its Director George Oberle were a natural choice as guide and conversation partner. Welcoming her, George Mason President Gregory Washington, and a group of trustees and other supporters, Oberle began the May 8 events with a story at the heart of George Mason IV's complex legacies, touring the "Enslaved Children of George Mason" memorial and explaining how it added new ways to view our namesake, physically and conceptually.
After a social lunch in the Johnson Center, Oberle, Fiorina and Washington recorded a lively panel discussion on how Mason and his contemporaries and the ways we talk about them reflect the complexities of slavery amid freedom in the founding of our republic. Christopher Eck, the executive director of George Mason's Gunston Hall, moderated.
The program is to stream this summer on GMU-TV channels and air on C-Span. Scheduling information will appear here when it is announced. Meanwhile, enjoy these photos from the May 8 program, taken by by Andani Munkaila for George Mason University Creative Services.
