Witness Stones Project, Inc.

Restore History, Educate, and Honor Humanity

Witness Stones Installation Ceremony

West Hartford to Hold Annual Juneteenth Celebration and Witness Stones Dedication

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By Ronnie Newton on We-Ha.com on June 12, 2023

 

It was the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but West Hartford held a small-scale Juneteenth celebration in June 202o. This Saturday, June 17, 2023, the town will officially hold its third annual celebration and the event will be bigger and better than ever, said organizer Adrienne Billings-Smith.

“I’m so excited,” said Billings-Smith, who is now the equity coordinator in West Hartford’s Office of Equity Advancement. The third annual full-scale celebration will include music, art, inspirational messages, and other activities for people of all ages. Continue reading.

Witness Stones Installation Ceremony Held On Wooster School Campus

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By Lori Kriegel In Ridgefield’s Hamlet Hub on June 6, 2023

The Witness Stones Installation Ceremony took place on the Wooster School campus, organized by the 8th-grade team, on May 30, 2023. As part of their participation in the Witness Stones Project, the students had been delving into the intricate history of enslavement in Connecticut through their research.

The Witness Stones Project is a “K-12 educational initiative whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities. The Project provides research assistance, teacher development, and curriculum support to help middle school students study the history of slavery in their own communities.” Continue reading.

State’s First Witness Stones to Be Installed June 5

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By Gino DeAngelis on ABC6.com on May 17, 2023

SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island’s first “Witness Stones” will be installed in a public ceremony on the grounds of the Kingston Congregational Church on June 5.

“The Witness Stones Project, Inc. is a non-profit, public history project, that works with local communities to restore the history and honor the humanity ofenslaved individuals who helped build our communities,” Reverend Dr. Jan Gregory-Charpentier said.

The two stones installed at the church will commemorate the lives of Cuffee and Sylvie Torrey. Continue reading.

Stonington School Project Tells the History of Enslaved Local Man

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Rev. Norman Erlendson says a few words Friday, April 28, 2023, after receiving the Cato Cuff Witness Stone during the installation ceremony at the First Congregational Church of Stonington. The ceremony was held to commemorate the life of Cato Cuff and presented by the Stonington Middle School eighth-grad class. Donna Brandelli, right, a descendant of the first minister of the First Congregational Church listens in the background. (Dana Jansen/The Day)

 

By Carrie Czerwinski, Special to The Day, on April 28, 2023

Stonington ― Stonington Middle School students presented the findings of their research on Cato Cuff, an enslaved man who was freed after his military service in the Revolutionary War, to members of the public at the Road Church on Friday.

Cuff was a member of the church, also known as the First Congregational Church, and married Flora Palmer there in 1820.

“This was a project that took weeks and weeks, but I think it was really important to have the opportunity to think and learn about slavery in a very local type of way, because I think it can be hard to really empathize people when all you see are statistics,” said eighth grade student Solana Thagnabouth. Continue reading.

Ridgefield 8th Graders Uncover the Stories of Two People Enslaved by One of Town’s Founding Families

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Ridgefield eighth graders’ research into the stories of two former enslaved residents culminated with a Witness Stones installation ceremony at the Ridgefield Historical Society on Nov. 15. Photo: Annie Tucci

In the Ridgefield Press by Kaitlyn Lyle on November 21, 2022

RIDGEFIELD — Local eighth graders worked to unearth and honor the stories of two former residents who were enslaved by one of Ridgefield’s founding families.

This project was incorporated into the Colonial Era unit of the eighth grade social studies curriculum at East Ridge and Scotts Ridge middle schools. Eighth graders worked with Ridgefield Historical Society and the Witness Stones Project — an organization that works with schools and community groups to “restore the history and honor the humanity” of enslaved individuals in Connecticut — to tell the story of two enslaved individuals held in captivity at the David Scott House. Continue reading.

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