The Precursors
We Are Texas East Mall Project
The Precursors—We Are Texas East Mall is a commemorative space dedicated to the students, faculty, and staff members who helped the university along its historic path. At the figurative center of this commemoration will be the Precursors – the Black students who integrated the University in the 1950s.
The Precursors—We Are Texas East Mall will provide a community-building addition to the campus landscape. In doing so, it will join other public-facing campus projects, such as the highly successful Landmarks Public Art Program, in advancing the pedagogical mission of The University of Texas at Austin.
The Precursors–Oral History Project
The Oral History Project is a companion piece to the forthcoming installation, hosted here. Listen to the precursors tell their own stories on this site.
Explore & Learn More
MASS Design Group activations help familiarize camps and visitors in the conceptualization and development of this commemorative space.
The first official cohort of Black students started undergraduate classes in Fall 1956 and are now referred to as The Precursors. The East Mall project will commemorate these precursors’ experiences as well as those of the other Black students in the early days of campus integration.