The intended site for this proposed memorial is Freedom Plaza in Washington DC. The geographical location of the plaza plays an integral role in the layout for the memorial. The name of the plaza, “Freedom”, is to be a tribute to the men and women who fought and died for the right to be considered equal in this country. The layout of the memorial has an inherent connection with the site.
The main area is shaped as a triangle, with the three corners pointing to key elements within the city. The southwest corner points to the Lincoln memorial, a testament to Abraham Lincoln and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The southeast corner points to the Capitol building, where the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments were instituted. The northwest corner is pointed to the White House, where the free people of the United States of America elected him into office.
The triangular shape of the memorial site is divided in the middle by a stream of water, with one side black and one side white. The separation shows the struggle our two cultures have had with one another throughout the history of this nation. The gap between
the two halves gradually decreases as it continues toward the southeast corner, signifying the coming together of our races.
On the south area of the memorial, is a white structure with a descending roof. The entrance is only five feet at its highest point, forcing the visitor to duck in order to enter the building. Once inside, the ceiling rises to thirteen feet, in a way disorienting the onlooker. During the progression through the building, the roof gets lower and lower, until the end where the overhead is less than five feet high, and the width is merely three and a half feet. At the end of the hallway is an image of the kneeling slave and an inscription of the quote “Am I Not a Man, and a Brother?” This building is designed to confine the visitor, making them feel trapped and secluded, and eventually forcing them to kneel as the slaves were forced to do during their years of servitude.
On the north portion of the memorial are long black walls with different heights and lengths, intertwining with one another. They create a distorted pathway, but one that is intentional. This is significant to how the American slaves had no control over their destiny, and in many ways had a disorienting existence. This path they all led however, led them to a final destination, the freedom
they all desired.
Next to the main memorial site, is a large expansive space covered in concrete. This empty area is a symbol of the emptiness the life of a slave was- no real purpose- just existence. The experience of being in this space is to demonstrate the loneliness their lives most certainly had. In the middle of this area is a circle sunk into the ground, and covered with grass and set with three marble towers of different heights, each signifying the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments.