Gallaudet University
Louise B. Miller Memorial
Project Overview
- Gallaudet University was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard of hearing in the world and remains the only higher education institution in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students.
- New memorial on an occupied campus that will reflect on the awareness of Black Deaf people and their lived experience; the freedom that Ms. Miller’s advocacy brought to the city’s Black Deaf students; remembrance of the courtroom struggle for justice in learning; and healing for past injustices
Gallaudet University has been the educational, political, social, and economic engine of the deaf and signing community on a national and global scale for more than 150 years. The university is the number one source for information on the deaf and signing communities. The Louise B. Miller Memorial memorial will provide a space for reflection and healing through the remembrance of all who have fought for the equality that Black Deaf children deserve.
The project includes preconstruction and construction of an interpretative landscape of approximately 27,000 square foot total, including a 9,000 square foot memorial and an 18,000 square foot Freedom Garden, which includes a sculpture of Louise B. Miller and her son, Kenneth, a sculpture of twenty-three chairs, a large water feature, walkways, and landscaping to create a new space for public memory and gathering.
