When: 15 NOV 2018, arrival at 9:30 A.M. and ceremony begins at 9:45 A.M.
Where: Guilford Green across from the Town Hall. (Rain location Adams Middle School Gym)
*Due to weather conditions, the Witness Stones Installation Ceremony, scheduled to be held tomorrow on the Guilford Green at 9:30 AM will be held at the gymnasium of E.C. Adams Middle School at 233 Church Street, Guilford at the same time. After the indoor ceremony, the event will move to the installation of three stones for Jouachim, Montros, and Pompey. The installations will begin at St. George Roman Catholic Church on the Guilford Green at about 10:30 AM.
You are cordially invited to the Second Annual Witness Stones Installation.
“Only by coming to terms with history can we free ourselves to create a more just world.” – Drew Gilpin Faust
The Witness Stones Project, a committee organized under the Guilford Preservation Alliance, was formed to “restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved persons who helped build our communities.” This fall, 8th grade students at Adams Middle School analyzed primary and secondary documents and created fact-based stories remembering the enslaved in Guilford.
You are cordially invited to join Adams Middle School 8th grade students and the Witness Stones Committee at the Witness Stones Installation Ceremony on the 15th of November at 9:30 A.M. on the Guilford Green across from the Town Hall. We gather there to honor the lives of Montros, Jouachim, and Pompey, enslaved residents of Guilford. After everyone gathers, we will start the ceremony at 9:45 A.M. This year, we are excited to have a descendent of those we honor participating in the ceremony. Patricia Wilson Pheanious, this year’s keynote speaker, can trace her family back almost three centuries to her 6th great grandparents, Montros and Phillis.
After the ceremony on the Green, students, community leaders, and the public with move to the locations where Montros, Jouachim, and Pompey lived while they were enslaved. Students and community leaders will install the Witness Stones in the sidewalks in front of these locations for us to witness and restore the history of their past contributions. We do this while remembering a time when our community did not live up to the lofty goals that we have described in the Declaration of Independence and codified in the U.S. Constitution.
This project is funded by the Guilford Foundation, Guilford Fund For Education, the Horton Group, Connecticut Humanities, and our membership.
We look forward to seeing you all at the Witness Stones Installation Ceremony.
Regards,
Dennis Culliton
203-233-1026
