Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations

The Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations (Task Force) was established in 2019 following the discovery of disturbing images in Emory yearbooks. Charged by President Claire E. Sterk and Provost Dwight A. McBride with reflecting on potential approaches, strategies, and forums for examining Emory's complex history and its relationship to the university's vision for its future, the Task Force met throughout the fall 2019 semester and submitted its report in spring 2020.

In response to renewed calls from the Emory community to reevaluate its founding narratives, President Fenves and Interim Provost Jan Love, on October 22, 2020, reappointed and recharged the Task Force with focusing its scope on telling the story of Emory's past with specific attention to two disenfranchised populations—the enslaved persons with ties to Emory and Indigenous peoples on whose land Emory's campus was erected.

The Task Force’s Charge

Serving in an advisory capacity to the president, the Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations was charged with reviewing opportunities for recognizing, observing, and memorializing the contributions of disenfranchised populations to Emory University.

The Task Force developed recommendations for:

  • honoring enslaved persons whose labor contributed to the construction of Emory College;
  • awarding scholarships to attend Emory to descendants of the enslaved persons whose labor contributed to the founding and operation of Emory College, with preference for undergraduate scholarships;
  • memorializing Indigenous peoples who previously lived on land now owned by Emory; and
  • expanding existing curricular offerings focused on the legacies of slavery and Indigenous populations.

Task Force Working Groups

Indigenous Language Path Working Group

Emory University acknowledges the Muscogee (Creek) people who lived, worked, produced knowledge on, and nurtured the land where Emory’s Oxford and Atlanta campuses are now located. Emory seeks to honor the Muscogee Nation and other Indigenous caretakers of this land by seeking knowledge of their histories and respectful stewardship of the land.

Learn more about the Indigenous Language Path Working Group

Twin Memorials Working Group

Following recommendations made by the Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations to memorialize Indigenous peoples who previously lived on land now owned by Emory, the Twin Memorials Working Group moves to implement a plan for memorials that will articulate and interconnect the shared histories of the Emory and Oxford campuses.

Learn More about Twin Memorials

Task Force Report

The Task Force on Untold Stories and Disenfranchised Populations submitted its full report to President Fenves on April 1, 2021, and made available an executive summary to the community.