The Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation at the University of the South is a six-year initiative investigating the university’s historical entanglements with slavery and slavery’s legacies. Our Project’s name memorializes the late Professor of History, Houston Bryan Roberson, who was the first tenured African American faculty member at Sewanee and the first to make African American history and culture the focus of their teaching and scholarship. The Roberson Project seeks to honor his inspiring legacies at Sewanee: the devotion to rigorous teaching, the pursuit of scholarship, the dedication to social justice, and the personal example of high moral character. In doing so, the Roberson Project seeks to help Sewanee confront our history in order to seek a more just and equitable future for our broad and diverse community. 

Research Summary

Compiled, in part, to give historical context to the Sept. 8 statement by the Board of Regents, this research summary provides an overview on the history of slavery and race at the University of the South and in the community of Sewanee.

Roberson Projects

Find out more information about the Roberson Project's current and past projects and programs.

 

 

Meridiana Blog

The title of our blog, "Meridiana” which is Latin for “of the South” – is drawn from the formal name that appears on diplomas awarded at Sewanee: Universitas Meridiana. Adopting this prepositional phrase for our online publication expresses our position that this investigation and the understanding that we derive from it are essential in determining what it means to be a leading university of and for the twenty-first century South.

On our blog, you can find our research and our new In Their Own Words series.

Meet Our Staff

Contact Us 

The University of the South
735 University Ave
Sewanee, TN 37383
robersonproject@sewanee.edu


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