The Witness Stones Project™ is an non-profit, community initiative whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities.
Research and Documentation
The Witness Stones Project uncovers the stories of formerly enslaved individuals across the northern states.
Community Engagement
The Witness Stones Project engages with local communities by organizing educational programs, workshops, and events that promote dialogue and understanding.
Public Installations
Witness Stone memorials provide a public, tangible link to the past and create lasting tributes that honor the lives and contributions of the enslaved.
Educational Resources
The Witness Stones Project develops educational materials and curricula that integrate the stories of formerly-enslaved individuals into school programs.
Inspired by the Stolpersteine project, and with its blessing, the Project began in Guilford, Connecticut. We have partnered with more than 100 schools, churches, museums, and civic organizations in across 5 states. Thousands of middle and high school students and their communities have participated in the Project.
The Project has been lauded as a rigorous and transformative program. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro praised it for “bringing together the community to learn, to heal, and to grow,” while Connecticut Department of Education Social Studies Coordinator Stephen Armstrong described it as “the perfect program for what we would like to promote at the State Department of Education.” The Project was honored by Connecticut Explored as a Game Changer that “advances the way we study, interpret, and disseminate Connecticut history.”
We have partnered with Central Connecticut State University to support our research and curriculum development, and with the Northeast Slavery Records Index to archive and share our research.
The Project has been supported financially by school fees, individual donations, local grants, and countless volunteer hours. We are now seeking philanthropic support so that we can continue reach every interested community, regardless of the local resources. Our vision is communities committed to learning their history, dismantling current inequities, and building a just future.
