Site Activation #1 – The Precursors
The first East Mall site activation, held March 20-31, 2023, was designed to raise awareness of the East Mall project and uplift the story of the Precursors, the first class of Black undergraduate students who shaped UT Austin into an institution for all Texans. The site activation took place on the lawns of the East Mall, adjacent to Speedway. It featured 118, 6ft -8ft physical, interactive markers that allowed visitors to walk through and view the names and photos of the Precursors who enrolled in 1956, as well as those Precursors who participated in the Precursors Oral Histories Project. Each marker had a unique QR code that linked to additional information for the Precursor named on each marker, including photos, available interviews, and additional archival information.
In addition to the two-week site activation installation, The Precursors, Inc. gathered to celebrate the site activation and early design stages of The Precursors – We are Texas East Mall project.
