The overview
County officials and community members gathered Aug. 24 at Bates Allen Park in Kendleton, an original freedmen’s town founded by six families of emancipated slaves, to celebrate the county’s groundbreaking for its American American Memorial project, spearheaded by Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy. The event was originally planned for June 19 but the event was delayed due to weather.
“I will say it was a bit overwhelming because you never know what to expect, especially with a rescheduled event and all the way out on the county’s edge,” McCoy said at an Aug. 27 commissioners meeting. “I think our ancestors really would have been proud of what we did and what we’re gonna do with this.”
The memorial aims to acknowledge past injustices, restore human dignity and celebrate African Americans’ contributions to the county, according to project documents from Fort Bend County Precinct 4.
The details
The more than $10 million voter-approved project was caused by the 2018 discovery of remains of 95 people, dubbed as the Sugar Land 95, on a Fort Bend ISD construction site who were believed to have been part of Texas’ convict labor and leasing program, McCoy previously told Community Impact.
The first phase of the memorial project will include a:
- Juneteenth Freedom Plaza
- Three-story imposing monument, dedicated to the African American giants in history
- Fragmented walkway
- Convict labor and leasing memorial, which will host 95 trees representing the Sugar Land 95
Future phases include the addition of a lynching reflection pond, McCoy said. Bates Allen Park will also see the additions to a learning center and Larry Callies’ Black Cowboy Museum, which is currently housed in Rosenberg.
Looking ahead
Contractors began construction on Aug. 26 and the first phase is expected to be completed within 18 months, McCoy said.
