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Witness Stones Workshop: Remembering Slavery in Connecticut

From July 31st to August 2nd, the Witness Stones Project conducted its first Teachers' Workshop inviting teachers from West Hartford, Middletown, and Guilford to learn, share, and discover the project whose aim is to: “Restore the history and honor the humanity and contributions of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities”.

In November 2017, the Witness Stones Committee, with eighth grade teachers and students at the E.C. Adams Middle School in Guilford implemented the project by teaching about Connecticut slavery. Students wrote biographical sketches using primary documents. They installed the first three stones to remember the lives of three of Guilford’s enslaved, namely Moses, Candace, and Phillis. They plan to continue the project in Guilford for the next decade.

The workshop participants this summer spoke about Bristow, Mimbo, and Joachim, three of the enslaved persons that our communities have remembered or wishes to remember through this project. They discussed the issues of memory and failing to come to terms with the past. They investigated documents that can be used uncover the lost history and can return the color to the fabric of our community's past.

The Witness Stones Committee would like to thank Connecticut Humanities for funding the workshop with a Quick Grant, the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society for hosting day two of the workshop, and the Middlesex County Historical Society for hosting day three! The expertise of historians and educators from all three communities provided a framework to continue the project in each community. Special thank yous to Anne Farrow, Debby Shapiro, Tracey Wilson, Liz Devine, Lauren Gullette, Sally Nyhan, Doug Nygren, and Tom Bushnell for leading the discussions. The Committee would like to thank their friends at Guilford, Connecticut Park and Rec Department for hosting day one. And an ongoing thank you to the Guilford Preservation Alliance and the Guilford Foundation for their continued support!

Please visit WitnessStones.org or contact Dennis Culliton, Witness Stones Chair at dennis@WitnessStones.org for more information.