[3][4] The memorial was designed by Argentine–American Architect Julian Bonder and Polish artist Krzysztof Wodiczko.

The memorial begins with a path along the Loire river banks, between the Anne-de-Bretagne Bridge and the Victor-Schoelcher footbridge.

The path is covered in 2,000 spaced glass inserts, with 1,710 of them commemorating the names of slave ships and their port dates in Nantes.

Upon entry, visitors are greeted with The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the word "freedom" written in 47 different languages from areas affected by the slave trade.

[5][4] In 1998, student Lisa Marcault-Dérouard produced and dedicated a statue in Nantes memorializing victims of slavery and commemorating the 150th anniversary of the 1848 Abolition Act.