CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. —The newest dorm at the University of Virginia has been named after two former slaves who became prominent community members after Emancipation.
The Daily Progress reports that the university officially dedicated Gibbons House on Friday. The residence hall will house about 200 first-year students starting this fall.
The dorm was named in honor of William and Isabella Gibbons, who were owned by university professors. The naming of the new dorm is part of an effort by the administration to acknowledge the history of slavery on the school’s grounds.
Naming the building in the Gibbons’ honor was a recommendation of the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University. In 2013, President Teresa Sullivan formed the group to do research on the subject and share its findings with the public.
