St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda Jordan was one of the principal invited speakers at Historic Sotterley’s “Day of Unity and Healing” on Saturday, August 20, 2022.
In delivering the educational call to action for the day, President Jordan fashioned her charge to the assembled audience by blending the Declaration of Independence’s pronouncement that “all men are created equal…with certain unalienable rights” with principles founded on African traditions that became the basis of the celebration of Kwanzaa. Following the road map laid out by these principles would lead to the unity and healing that were the theme of the day’s event.
“It will take engaging and inspiring occasions like today to help enlighten, educate and empower us to move the nation to reconcile with its past, and to live up to its potential for the greatness…that all men and women are created equal, and have the inalienable right to pursue life, liberty and justice.”
Historic Sotterley, a National Historic Landmark, and UNESCO Slave Route Site of Memory, is a remnant of an almost 6,000-acre plantation farm with an interpreted history dating back to the turn of the 18th century. Sotterley embraces a mission of historic preservation to bring American history to life, with a vision of fostering a better understanding of our world today by providing a living link to America’s complex history and legacy of slavery.
