National monument honoring enslaved Black people set to open

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

9 hours ago


A new monument and sculpture park honoring 10 million enslaved Black people in the United States is opening next week in Montgomery, Alabama.

Why it matters: The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park and National Monument to Freedom will become the closest the U.S. has to a national monument to the victims of enslavement.

It comes as some states in recent years have passed bills limiting the discussion of slavery in public schools.

Zoom in: Advocacy group Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) announced the project — which will be part of its Legacy Sites — will open Wednesday after years of planning.

The 17-acre site combines historical artifacts, contemporary art, original research, and first-person narratives to explore the institution of slavery, the lives of enslaved people, and the legacy of slavery in the U.S.

The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park will have structures and totems, including 170-year-old dwellings from cotton plantations and bricks made by enslaved people 175 years ago.

The National Monument to Freedom, standing 43 feet tall and 155 feet long, sits at the end of the Sculpture Park.

It uses research from the 1870 Census —the first time formerly enslaved Black people were able to formally record a surname —to list over 122,000 surnames that nearly five million Black people adopted at the time.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/03/23/national-monument-enslaved-black-people-eji

[elleng]

1. in Alabama.

[Think. Again.]

3. I'm thinking we could use one in EVERY state, but Alabama is a great start!

[elleng]

4. Of course.

[ShazzieB]

6. Montgomery is a very fitting location for this, whn you look at the role that city played in the civl rights movemebnt.

The state of Alabama, and Montgomery, in particular, was the site of many key events in the civil rights movement. The Montgonery bus boycott, Bloody Sunday, the bombing of the Suxteenth Street Baptist Church that killed those 4 little girls, and more all happened in Alabama.

Montgomery is also the home of the Rosa Parks museum; the Freedom Riders museum; the Southern Poverty Law Center Civil Rights Memorial; and the Lynching Memorial. I think a national monument to the victims of enslavement will fit right in.

More info:
https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/collection/civil-rights-movement-in-alabama/

https://civilrightstravel.com/attractions-in-montgomery-alabama/

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Good. Our government must carry the banner of freedom loudly.

When does the Whiny monument to Orange People open? And where?

[calimary]

5. The photo of the monument - with all those faces...

So deeply and disturbingly compelling! Reminds you that when we’re talking about slaves, we’re talking about PEOPLE. Real, actual fellow human beings.

Makes you think.

[electric_blue68]

7. I knew the acronym EJI sounded familiar. I remember seeing the photos of The National Monument to Freedom when it opened

a solemn, powerful monument.

As this will be/is.

Ty, BRTS.