By Cequyna Moore, Director of the Monuments Toolkit
What is the power place especially as it relates to trauma? The power of place refers to the profound emotional and historical weight that certain locations carry. For many, places tied to racialized violence are not just points on a map; they are living memories embedded in the land. The physical environment can hold layers of memory, both painful and empowering. Recognizing these layers is crucial in any discussion about justice, healing, and resilience.
During the course of the Monuments Toolkit Project, I often think about trauma and how place and the physical monument are intertwined. Especially when the monument itself can exacerbate the trauma. The Monuments Toolkit Project speaks at length about the correlation between the construction of Confederate Memorials and times that the Black community were realizing greater civil rights in the United States. Scholarship, including the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Whose Heritage?” report also illustrates this correlation.
In April, I had the opportunity to present at the Journeys to Justice Symposium, which was held in Springfield, Illinois. The symposium centered on the power of place, specifically through the lens of sites associated with racialized violence against Black communities. One major focus was the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site, recently designated as a National Monument. This site is particularly significant as the violence there was a catalyst for the creation of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
Throughout the weekend, workshops and roundtables focused on how to engage with sites of trauma in ways that promote healing and resilience. We explored the role of monuments, museums, and historic places have in acknowledging painful histories and also their ability to serve as spaces for critical dialogue, connection, and collective recovery.
In my talk, I emphasized the importance of naming trauma, because if you do not name the thing, you cannot begin to address it. Healing starts with truth telling. I also discussed ways to facilitate these conversations through a trauma-informed framework by sharing tools from the forthcoming Monuments Toolkit:
Know Your Community: Go beyond surface-level understanding. Listen deeply, identify stakeholders, and ensure all voices are heard, not just the loudest or most powerful.
Choose a Neutral Setting: Hold conversations in trusted, neutral spaces like museums or community centers to foster open and safe dialogue.
Build Partnerships: Collaboration is key. Identify key decision-makers early and build partnerships that encourage broad, inclusive participation, locally and even internationally when appropriate.
Establish Committees and Working Groups: Setting up advisory bodies helps coordinate efforts, bring in expertise, and ensure that decisions are informed and representative.
Engage with Academics: Historians and researchers provide critical context and deepen understanding of the complex histories attached to places and monuments.
Include Artists: Artists can help translate complex emotions into powerful expressions, fostering healing and connection through creativity.
When we approach places of trauma with care and honesty, we honor the full weight of their history. In doing so, we also create room for dialogue, empathy, and resilience.