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UVA was designed by the vision of American “patriot” and founding father, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, a document which preaches the equality of American citizens, created his idyllic Academical Village as an almost template for what an American University should be: a democratic space that values knowledge at its core. And yet, Jefferson’s University supported the homogenous culture of upper-middle class Southern white males, the majority of which would become agricultural plantation leaders. The Memorial for Enslaved Laborers reveals the hypocrisy and two-faced history of the University: one of exclusion, homogeneity and undemocratic values. The space acts as a forum to the community for on-going education, dialogues, and activity in relation to racial issues of the University and the Nation at large. While Jefferson may have been hypocritical in his actions, his university can now (re)present a real democratic space.