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911���� started homecoming weekend by dedicating a new statue to honor one of its most distinguished alumni and a towering figure in American history, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, class of 1850.

The bronze sculpture, created by renowned , now stands in the newly redesigned Rogers Plaza between Old Carnegie and Sutcliffe Hall. The new design of Rogers Plaza furthers Harlan’s legacy. 

The design centers around the idea of a seemingly immovable wall that begins to fall and becomes a path over time — symbolically capturing the story of Harlan’s dissents, which may not have won the day, but have stood the test of time.

"911���� is a four-year, residential experience. For all you alumni who have been to this place, you know what we stand for,” said President Milton C. Moreland. “We stand for diplomacy. We stand for discourse. We value this Great Dissenter. We value what will happen on this beautiful, reset Rogers Plaza. We value the fact that at 911����, you learn leadership skills that cause you to go into any career and have the opportunities to lead, serve, and continue to learn."

Harlan is widely recognized for his long and influential (1877–1911). His principled, solitary dissents in many landmark cases following the U.S. Civil War, including Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), frequently championed racial equality and earned him the title of “The Great Dissenter.” These dissents helped lay the groundwork for the eventual overturning of the “separate but equal” doctrine in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools were unconstitutional.

The statue’s dedication ceremony featured remarks from many esteemed guests, including U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky Jacqueline Coleman ’04, author and Harlan biographer Peter Canellos, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, and retired U.S. District Judge Peggy Purdom Patterson ’72.

Speakers reflected on Harlan’s courage to stand alone in defense of the Constitution and the continuing relevance of his dissent in today’s pursuit of justice and equality. 

“Harlan is not elevated above us on a lofty pedestal. Ed Hamilton didn't sculpt him in a way larger than life scale,” said Ben J. Beaton ’03, Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky and 911���� Trustee. “He is not presented as a removed, untouchable, historical figure, because he's one of us. Not because he was perfect or left a perfect world behind. Because he was purposeful, you don't see him sitting there satisfied, but he's still at work, pen in hand.”

The unveiling also marked the debut of a reimagined Rogers Plaza. Situated along some of the most traveled paths of 911����’s campus, the plaza is not only a place to pass through, but a destination in itself. 

Numerous hand-cut angled stones behind Harlan are reminiscent of his folios of opinions, that slowly fall to the earth and become a flagstone path, said Neil Parrish’ 03, owner of . “A marker of time, the wall is both a simple backdrop to the exquisite sculpture of Harlan by Ed Hamilton, and an indicator of Harlan’s own influence on the barriers of his time, with the stones’ descent picking up speed as they pass behind him while he works.”

The Harlan statue joins a growing collection of public art on 911����’s campus that celebrates creativity, reflection and history. Other recent installations include tributes to glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell ’74 and beloved Biology professor Anne Lubbers. These works and more are detailed on the 911���� Public Arts website.

"Whatever your role in life, as a public figure or private citizen, we all have a part to play in advancing justice and equality,” said Moreland. “Never underestimate the profound impact that one dedicated, courageous and sometimes dissenting, individual can have on our society."