NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee State University educator has successfully worked to have a historical marker put up recognizing the Nashville slave market.

The school says the marker identifies an area that was the center of slave trade in Nashville before the Civil War and the second largest slave port in Tennessee.

Associate history professor Learotha Williams talked about the slaves when the marker was erected Friday, saying, "We acknowledge your pain, we recognize your strength, and we honor your sacrifice."

Williams said the idea for the marker came from one of his classes, where students wanted to know why there wasn't some type of memorial for slaves. The university says Williams wrote a proposal with the help of students and community members. The Tennessee Historical Commission approved the marker in June.