End of Massive Resistance Commemoration

Completion: 2022

Location: Norfolk, VA

Description: Using the metaphor of breaking down the barrier of a school building wall, the monument features a sculptural “de-materialization” of conventional bricks to translucent bricks. The glass bricks reveal powerful and emotional images telling the story of desegregation in Norfolk. Both sunlight and dramatic nighttime illumination penetrate the transparent areas of the wall, becoming a powerful symbol of the triumph of social justice. As the sunlight passes through the surface, it projects historical photos washing the plaza and visitors with imagery of the Civil Rights Movement. This visually connects our own time with the meaningful events of the past. Much of the wall’s imagery focuses on the inspirational bravery and sacrifice of the courageous students, known as the Norfolk 17, who ended Virginia’s program of “Massive Resistance” to the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. 

This landmark work poetically connects struggles past and present for racial equity in education. The wall evokes brickwork of the mid-century, and the title of the monument, “End of Massive Resistance,” uses signage typography of the same era. Opaque bricks appear through the end of the wall, gesturing towards the ongoing struggle to achieve equitable education for all students regardless of race. The wall also features the poem, Seventeen Ways, by renowned poet Tim Seibles, former poet laureate of Virginia.

Poet: Tim Seibles

Design Optimization/Management: METALAB

Photography: Eric Lusher