Uncovering the Stories of Enslaved Persons at the University of Mississippi
Author’s note: In my interview with Donald Guillory, he explained his usage of the phrase “enslaved people(s)” versus “slaves.” By saying “enslaved man,” “enslaved woman,” “enslaved child,” instead of simply “slave,” we bring back the human element. It allows us to recognize these were people with families and we can begin to ask ourselves questions such as “What types of jobs did this person do?” or “What did this person eat?” So, in this piece, the term “enslaved people” (or other variations) will be used, unless reference is being made to the University of Mississippi Slavery Research Group (UMSRG) or the University of Mississippi’s Campus Slavery Tours.
William Faulkner famously said, “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.”
Donald Guillory, a doctoral student whose focus is on race, gender and identity in the history of the United States and Latin America, agrees with Faulkner—but adds a bit of a twist.
“To paraphrase William Faulkner, the idea that you have to understand Mississippi first before you understand anything else: I think with that goes, you have to understand the University of Mississippi before you can ever understand anything about educational endeavors, anything about educational pursuits, leads, anything to that extent. Because when you look at this University, how far it’s come and then, of course, how far it still needs to go, it’s made a lot of changes from 1962 to 2020. But it’s made a lot of changes within the past five to 10 years. Some that people are okay with and some that people aren’t okay with. But the thing is, with progress you’re not going to make everybody happy. You know with changes you’re not going to make everybody happy. And the thing about the tour is it is part of that growth that the University has; the idea of starting some type of reconciliation with the past, understanding what the University of Mississippi was when it started, and understanding that the University of Mississippi of 1848, is not the University of Mississippi in 2020. And vice versa.”
It is no secret the University of Mississippi—much like many other institutions founded in the 18th and 19th centuries—owes much to enslaved people. When you walk across the flagship campus in Oxford, your mind may drift to tailgates in the Grove, baseball games at Swayze Field or the general hustle and bustle of students making their way from one class to the next. Rarely, do our minds think back to the origins of the University and the individuals whose names are inscribed on plaques or buildings. It is probably even less often that we think about the enslaved men and women responsible for building and keeping the University operational in its earlier days. It leads us to ask the question, why do we know so much about and celebrate the people our buildings are named after, but not the people who built them?
So, where does Donald Guillory fit into all of this? The University of Mississippi Slavery Research Group (UMSRG) has for years aimed to bridge the gap and further contextualize the narratives surrounding enslaved people and the University. For the past few years, the UMSRG has offered campus tours, but in the fall of 2019 they tapped Guillory to lead a more formal effort—making the information collected by the UMSRG more widely available to faculty, students, community members and visitors to the University. Guillory estimates he has probably taken over 1,600 people on the tour, which he offered at least once a week on a rolling basis.
Donald Guillory (right) gives a tour to the University of Mississippi Chancellor Dr. Glenn Boyce (left). Photo credit: Ryan Whittington
Guillory had big plans in 2020 to further expand the reach of the tour and was excited to continue building the program out to the ranks of those at Georgetown University or the University of Alabama—but then the COVID-19 pandemic derailed initial plans. Instead of viewing this as a setback, Guillory views it as an opportunity to explore more options.
The COVID-19 pandemic “closed some doors, but it’s opened a lot more powerful [sic].”
Guillory still believes it to be a worthwhile experience, even though the tour has temporarily shifted to being fully digital. While some of the more immersive aspects of the tour are lost when performed virtually—such as standing on the steps of the Lyceum or running your fingers over the plaques outside Barnard Observatory—the opportunity for education is still present. Whether you are physically walking on campus or seated at home, you still have full access to the history, stories and conversation starters the Campus Slavery Tour provides. Guillory is working on making the virtual tour more immersive and has plans to eventually include 360-degree photos of the different sites visited on the in-person tour.
The University’s History Department is excited about the digital expansion. They predict this will extend their audience reach and will also make the tour more inclusive—there is a fair amount of walking involved in the in-person version and in the past, the tour has not been completely accessible to those with mobility limitations. The digital expansion also creates the opportunity for the tour participants to access more data and history. Guillory hopes to includes links to more material so the learning and experience does not have to end just because the tour itself is over. In short, the doors the digital expansion opens are seemingly limitless.
The Lyceum is one of the stops featured on the Campus Slavery Tour. Photo Credit: Donald Guillory
Guillory understands not every person he interacts with will have the same perspective he does, or even an interest in this particular aspect of the University’s history. He recognizes this is a sensitive topic, but says he gave up sugarcoating history a long time ago. Guillory’s hope, though, is that a majority of those who participate will walk away with a fuller sense of appreciation of the history, narratives and transformations of the University of Mississippi. But the real cherry on top? If what is learned is able to help spark conversation about the present day here in Oxford and Mississippi, locally, and more broadly, across the country and around the world.
Guillory enjoys “…talking about how the social movements themselves, whether they’re local, state, [or] national have an impact. And people not may not see Minneapolis connected to Oxford, Mississippi, or Kenosha, Wisconsin connected to Oxford, Mississippi, but a lot of the systemic issues are the same.”
When I spoke to Guillory about this moment of reckoning we are seeing in the United States, I wanted to get his pulse on how recent events—such as incidents of police brutality across the country and the recent decision by the Mississippi Legislature to remove the state flag, with its confederate insignia—affect the way we should tell the story of enslaved people at the University of Mississippi.
For Guillory, it is all about making a full circle connection. By understanding the goals of the University of Mississippi in 1848, we are able to better understand the politics and sentiments surrounding James Meredith’s admission in 1962, and from that spurs a better understanding of where the University is in 2020 and more importantly, where it is headed. Simply put, this tour is not just about the history of enslaved persons at the University—it is about the future of the University and the students who will one day walk the same grounds as those people who were enslaved did more than a century ago; but it is also as much about the future of our nation and what we choose to do with this moment we have been given.
Donald R. Guillory is a History Instructor at Arizona State University and Doctoral student at the University of Mississippi whose focus is on race, gender and identity in the history of the United States and Latin America. A graduate of Georgia Southern University, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and History, and Master of Arts in History. After serving in the U.S. Army, Guillory attended Arizona State University where he earned his master’s degrees in education and liberal studies, focusing on the role film and television play in shaping our perspectives about culture and gender.
He is also the author of “The Token Black Guide,” which discusses and examines experiences and perspectives (historical and personal) on race in America. Don is the Co-host of TheNecronomi.com, a podcast discussing the social commentary in horror. His first novel, Bastards of the Bayou, a historical fiction piece, was published in March of 2020. In February of 2020, Guillory gave a TEDx Talk, focusing on the importance of a narrative.