Student Life: Enslaved Servants and Daily Operations
Enslaved individuals were a vital part of everyday life on college campuses, performing tasks that kept schools running smoothly. At the University of North Carolina, enslaved men and women cooked meals, cleaned dormitories, tended fireplaces, and served students and faculty. Their invisible labor supported the comfort and learning environment of white students, while their presence was rarely acknowledged in official records. Today, documentation efforts are uncovering these stories, highlighting the daily realities of campus life shaped by slavery. Read more about UNC’s documentation.
