Witness Stones Project, Inc.

Restoring History & Honoring Humanity

#HampdenCoMA

Longmeadow to Bear Witness to the Lives of Two Enslaved People

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An example of a Witness Stone, similar to the ones that will be laid to mark the lives of two enslaved people in Longmeadow.

By Sarah Heinone in the The Reminder on March 6, 2024

LONGMEADOW — This May, two of the 16 people who were known to be enslaved in Longmeadow will have their lives and stories memorialized in stone.

First Church of Christ of Longmeadow hosted a presentation by Dennis Culliton, founder of the Witness Stones Project, on Feb. 29.

He provided historical records of Massachusetts’ participation in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Culliton explained how, in the 1700s, the enslavement of Native Americans was phased out due to the likelihood of them running away and disappearing into forests they knew well. Instead, enslaved people from Africa and the Caribbean, unfamiliar with the area and without nearby friendly communities, were bought to be used for labor. Continue reading.

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