P R E S S . R E L E A S E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Ruthann DeLong
Email: boxbreaker@gmail.com
Phone: 508-954-5576
Website: www.BMPPMP.org

July 23, 2025 (Bristol, RI) — A powerful new bronze sculpture memorializing those impacted by the  transatlantic slave trade and their descendants  will be unveiled at Independence Park on Bristol Harbor on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. The event, hosted by the Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project (BMPPMP), marks a significant  occasion  of reflection, remembrance, and healing in the town's history.

The memorial, titled Our Ancestors Come With Us, is a life-sized bronze sculpture created by Spencer Evans, an accomplished artist and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. 

Spencer, who himself is a descendant of enslaved people, was chosen over other artists because of his deep connection to the history of slavery and its enduring impact.

“My concept for the memorial is based on the love and respect for my ancestors who endured the Middle Passage, as well as a life in bondage long enough to be

emancipated, which resulted in generations of descendants being able to live and thrive on this land today,” said Spencer. “It is also rooted in the same respect for the ancestors and descendants of Pokanoket people who lived in harmony with this land before any of us.”

A preview of the sculpture can be found at 

https://bristolmiddlepassageportmarkerproject.org/home

“We are engaged in a very timely, important—and beautiful—project, dedicated to erecting a memorial to our African, African-American, and Indigenous brothers and sisters who were and are, impacted by the horrific transatlantic human trade that was operated for many years from the port of Bristol, Rhode Island.” said Bernard K. Freamon, Professor of Law and Director of The Institute for Race and the Law at RWU School of Law and President of the Board of Directors for BMPPMP. “This memorial will help everyone gain a better understanding of our history and bring a sense of reconciliation and healing.”

Founded in 2023, BMPPMP is a nonprofit organization of twelve dedicated community volunteers. The group is part of the national Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project, which has identified 90 U.S. ports that participated in the transatlantic slave trade. 

“For hundreds of years the true story of Bristol’s involvement in the Middle Passage Slave Trade has been left unspoken. It is time for change,” says Ruthann DeLong, member of the BMPPMP Board of Directors. 

Independence Park’s Significance

The sculpture’s location in Independence Park (a public space in historic downtown Bristol) sits just steps from the former DeWolf warehouse, where slave ships once embarked. Ithas also been designated as a Site of Memory by the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project.

The unveiling event will include remarks by local dignitaries including Congressman Gabe Amo, Professor Anthony Bogues, Director of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University, and artist Spencer Evans, along with performances by African and Indigenous cultural groupsand soloist-actress Rose Weaver. 

The public is invited to attend this historic event and witness the unveiling of a monument that seeks to acknowledge the past while offering a message of freedom and hope for future generations.

For more information, visit www.BMPPMP.org.

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About the Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project 

The Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project seeks to acknowledge the history and memory of Bristol’s participation in slavery and the Transatlantic Human Trade and its resounding effects on African and Indigenous peoples by erecting a memorial to honor those affected by this history and their contributions to our nation, and to serve as a site for educating people on this history and for hosting reconciliation and healing ceremonies. BMPPMP’s logo features the Sankofa, an African symbol depicting a bird looking backward while moving forward. It embodies the organization’s mission to honor the past while forging a path toward the future – bringing healing and understanding through an honest and hopeful reflection on our shared history. More at https://bristolmiddlepassageportmarkerproject.org/

About the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project 

The Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project (MPCPMP) is a non-profit tax-exempt organization established in 2011 to honor the two million captive Africans who perished during the trans-Atlantic crossing known as the Middle Passage and the ten million who survived to build the Americas. More at https://www.middlepassageproject.com/ence.