Wilkins Plaza
Wilkins Plaza is named for Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, civil rights activist, and George Mason University Robinson Professor, Roger Wilkins. Wilkins taught at George Mason from 1986 to 2007.
The 1,000 foot-long space, located near the exact center of the campus,
is bounded on the east by Southside Dining Hall and on the west by the statue of George Mason. In between the two are two much newer features, the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial and the Wilkins Fountain, which were completed in 2021.
The Memorial to the Enslaved People of George Mason
A Unique and Thought-Provoking Look at Another Side of George Mason
Wilkins Plaza on George Mason's Fairfax Campus has undergone a physical makeover, beginning in 2019. The Memorial to the Enslaved People of George Mason is a key part of that work, establishing itself as a space where visitors can consider the paradox that was George Mason. He was a patriot who wrote about liberty and human rights, yet he owned slaves.
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George Mason Statue
Mason's Beloved Landmark
Although the decision to name the University after George Mason came in 1959, the idea for a statue of him on campus was not proposed until thirty years later, in 1989. Like many celebrated traditions at Mason, the George Mason Statue started as a student initiative.
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The Clock
A Legacy of the Class of 1999
The Clock stands on Wilkins Plaza at the intersection of the Johnson Center, Horizon Hall, Fenwick Library, and David King Hall. The number "1999" appears on the clockâs face, as it was a gift to the university from Mason's Class of 1999. Its estimated cost, according to the only Broadside article…
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