Written by Nashieli Marcano
In a similar fashion to the Seeking Abraham Report produced by the Task Force of Slavery and Justice, and its accompanying physical exhibition held in 2018, Furman’s Legacy of Slavery is a digital exhibition space for visitors to interact with Furman historical materials related to the institution’s connection with slavery. The sections of the website are organized by the following themes: Founding a University, Richard Furman’s Legacy, Constructing a Campus, James C. Furman, 1860’s and Postbellum Years, Turn of the Century, and Modern Legacies. These themes allow visitors to explore and discover different viewpoints regarding our enslaving past, examine paths of inquiry, connect this legacy to modern racial and economic inequalities, and reflect on what our ancestors went through so that we live better lives.
The Furman’s Legacy of Slavery site has been integrated to curricular activities. Its reach expanded to Pathways students as it became one of the options for their Individualized Experiences module and reflection assignment. It was also presented to FYW 1321—African American Agency in the Civil War Era (Pinheiro) students as one of the choices for a final presentation. Lorena Taguchi (’27), whose area of expertise is the Civil War Era and laws pertaining to agency in enslavement, took on the task of conducting a critical analysis of the digital exhibition based on its historical accuracy, formatting, and language. Lorena presented insightful recommendations for enhancing the experience of visitors. When referring to the Introduction section, she recommends revising the language: 
It is important to recognize that the victims of such history are no longer alive to see this exhibit, and the term making amends suggests their forgiveness. Perhaps the university could speak about acknowledging and learning from this history rather than attempting reconciliation.
Lorena believes that by contextualizing the term amends would allow Furman to recognize and learn from a history that is still affecting the descendants of victims of slavery. On the theme Turn of the Century, Lorena asserted:
This section was the most compelling to me. The photograph provided of Murphy and a small description of his works are precisely the details I looked for in this exhibit. As years go by, it becomes exceedingly important to memorialize the names that aided in turning Furman into the school it is today.
She concluded, “although history, such as the one behind the founding of Furman, is hard to learn about, it is invaluable to the people who live there today…This experience, as an admirer of the rich history of South Carolina, was nothing short of remarkable.” We thank Lorena, Dr. Pinheiro, and Pathways for providing venues to reflect on this painful aspect of our institutional past.