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WHAT COULD BE WRITTEN NOW
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BY ELIZABETH FACEN
Writer, Researcher & Faith-filled Storyteller
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You have extended an invitation to converse, to uncover what lies beneath the dust of history. And as I reflect, I see this journey not only as an excavation but as an act of replanting. To place seeds where only stones once stood. To gather stories long silenced and craft from them a canopy of healing.
If Furman is to engage in this dialogue with intention, then let the themes we address be rooted in restoration. Let them be anchored in equity.
Restoration and Reparation:
What was once withheld cannot be rewritten, but it can be restored. How can Furman University reconcile its legacy by investing in the communities once barred from building generational wealth? Beyond acknowledging the past, what tangible steps can be taken to bring equity where exclusion left emptiness? Restoration is not merely a gesture-it is a vow.
Narrative Healing:
What of the voices lost to those covenants? I imagine a tapestry of testimonies from descendants whose access to prosperity was disrupted by ink and paper. Let them speak. Let them be woven into the history books, not as footnotes but as chapters-full, rich, alive.
Aesthetic Restoration:
What if the spaces built on exclusion became monuments of inclusion? Could there be gardens and sculptures, public art installations and architectural tributes, where beauty rises from ashes? The very structures once weaponized against progress could be transformed to honor the resilience of those who were turned away.
Economic and Policy Innovation:
And what of policy’s power? As these truths are laid bare, how might Furman leverage its influence to advocate for economic policies that heal rather than harm? To rewrite bylaws and practices so that the future is forged by fairness, not favoritism.
Educational Accountability and Innovation:
Let this discovery be more than an archival achievement. What if these findings informed the curriculum, inspiring students not only to learn but to lead? Can Furman be a model for institutions seeking truth, justice, and reconciliation? What if every graduate left not only educated but emboldened to pursue equity in every sphere?
Gentrification and Its Modern Impacts:
And finally, how does the past echo into the present? The gentrification that displaces Black and Latino families today bears the same fingerprints as those covenants from decades ago. How can Furman use its voice and resources to advocate for just development, for communities where all are welcome to thrive?
You’ve asked what your project means to me.
It means acknowledging that the ink of exclusion is still drying. It means rewriting what was meant to divide and reimagining what could be written now. It means extending roots of reconciliation deep enough to sustain growth for generations.
May this dialogue be more than a conversation-may it be the seed of a restored legacy.
EDITOR’S NOTE
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This essay is a community submission in response to the Placing Furman project.
We have reserved space for your words on the Placing Furman site to feature short responses (up to 750 words). You may send them directly to [email protected] and/or you may contact us to explore themes or specific topics you would like to address.
In the spirit of thoughtful dialogue, we promise to review and reply to each submission you send us.
We reserve the right to publish the most productive and thoughtful essays. In cases where we are not sure we can publish your ideas, we may ask for revisions or clarification
We don’t seek to censor; we invite disagreement. But we are an educational institution, so we intend to publish pieces that are meant to provoke reflection, not anger.
Our goal is to foster a constructive conversation. Please, tell us, what does our project,
Placing Furman, mean to you?