7 10 134 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/e99cf9263fb544faa484bdfef4a57fe0.jpg 07e4dc4e31bfa7cc7bbf65da9ef8bdca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Underground Railroad Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The memorial and monuments in this collection are dedicated to the Underground Railroad, an organized network of routes and safe houses that assisted freedom seekers [enslaved people] on their journeys northward. The Underground Railroad was part of the larger movement for the abolition of slavery in the United States. The movement to abolish slavery was a complicated political movement that, at its core, was driven by the resistance and activism of enslaved Black people and freedmen and women abolitionists. Historian Manisha Sinha explores the history of American abolition, including the Underground Railroad in The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016).  Although Harriet Tubman is the most famous conductor in the Underground Railroad, she is not the subject of the memorials featured in this collection (see the collection on this site, <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/collections/show/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Abolitionists</a>, to view works specifically dedicated to her life and work). Rather the monuments and memorials featured here, such as Ed Dwight's <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1170" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gateway to Freedom: International Memorial to the Underground Railroad</a>, highlight other prominent conductors, as well as celebrate the fortitude and bravery of the freedom seekers as they made the perilous journey north. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 277 x 134 x 134 in. (703 x 340 x 340 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tower of Freedom (Windsor, Ontario) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--Canada Freedom Fugitive slaves--Canada Ontario--Windsor Public art Public sculpture Underground Railroad Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The Canadian counterpart to Ed Dwight's Gateway to Freedom: International Memorial to the Underground Railroad consists of a twenty-two-foot high granite tower, adorned with a bronze flame symbolizing the “Eternal Flame of Freedom.” Life-size bronze figures stand on opposite sides of the tower’s base. The cluster of four bronze figures facing the river include an African American woman holding an infant and a white woman, often identified as a Quaker “operative.” Behind the women, a man stands with his arms raised in a gesture of praise. On the opposite side of the tower, a singular figure of a woman looks back towards the river and the United States. Despite her age, she clutches a rag doll. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 20, 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Detroit 300; The Underground Railroad Monument Committee of Windsor Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Windsor Civic Esplanade, 200 Pitt Street E., Windsor, Ontario, N9A 6T6, Canada Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Bronze plaque: THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN CANADA LE CHEMIN DE FER CLANDESTIN AU CANADA From the early 19th century until the American Civil War, settlements along the Detroit and Niagara rivers were important terminals for the Underground Railroad. White and black abolitionists formed a heroic network dedicated to helping free and enslaved African Americans find freedom from oppression. By 1861, some 30,000 freedom-seekers resided in what is now Ontario, after secretly traveling north from slave states like Kentucky and Virginia. Some returned south after the outbreak of the Civil War, but many remained helping to forge the modern Canadian identity. Du début du XIXe siècle à la guerre de Sécession, des villages le long des rivières Detroit et Niagara servirent de terminus au chemin de fer clandestin. Ce réseau d’ abolitionnistes blancs et noirs aida les Afro-Américains à fuir l’oppression pour atteindre la liberté. Ainsi, en 1861, près de 30 000 réfugies d’ascendance africaine, venant d'États esclavagistes comme le Kentucky et la Virginie, vivaient dans ce qui est aujourd’hui l’Ontario. Des Certains la guerre de Sécession certains repartirent vers le sub, mais beaucoup s’installèrent ici en permanence et contribuèrent à forger l'identité du Canada moderne Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada Inscription on the river-facing side of the monument: “Keeping the Flame of Freedom Alive” Inscription on the reserve of the monument: “International Underground Railroad Memorial” Inscription on base: “UNDERGROUND RAILRAOD AREAS OF SETTLEMENT AMERSTBURG DRESEDEN BUXTON CHATHAM COLCHESTER LITTLE RIVER NEW CANAAN PUCE SANDWICH WINDSOR" Bronze plaque in front of the memorial: Tower of Freedom by Ed Dwight Dedicated October 20, 2001, with companion work Gateway to Freedom in Hart Plaza, Detroit. A project of Detroit 300 and the Underground Railroad Monument Committee of Windsor. Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Faires, Nora. "Across the Border to Freedom: The International Underground Railroad Memorial and the Meanings of Migration." Journal of American Ethnic History 32, no. 2 (2013): 38-67. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dwight, Ed, 1933- Extent The size or duration of the resource. 277 x 134 x 134 in. (703 x 340 x 340 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Granite Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22Tower_of_Freedom%22_by_Ed_Dwight_(2001),_Windsor,_Ontario,_2025-05-31_01.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikipedia Commons</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource City of Windsor, 400 City Hall Square East, Windsor, Ontario, N9A 7K6, Canada bronze figurative granite obelisk https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/5c14a352740f5f0171386213ac0e85d3.jpg 187f183b3c31c596341a12f45aa7b759 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Resistance Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this section commemorate the enslaved and free men and women who resisted bondage and worked to end the institution of slavery. In her book, The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016), historian Manisha Sinha examines the long history of Black resistance to chattel slavery. Resistance to enslavement took many forms—from rebellions aboard slave ships and on plantations to the enslaved slowing the pace of work, breaking tools, feigning illness, and escaping from bondage. The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad; the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three Rebel Queens of the Virgin Islands</a> in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, celebrates the women of the Fireburn Revolt of 1878; and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1156" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaspar Yanga</a> statue highlights a seventeenth-century self-emancipated leader of a maroon colony near Veracruz, Mexico. In the near future, we will add more commemorative works from the Caribbean to this theme including monuments and memorials in Antigua, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Three Rebel Queens of the Virgin Islands (Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Public art Public sculpture Resistance St. Thomas (USVI)--Charlotte Amalie Slave insurrections--St. Croix (USVI) Slavery--Denmark Slavery--St. Croix (USVI) Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Name) Thomas, Mary (Queen Mary), ca. 1838–1905 Salomon, Axeline E. (Queen Agnes), ca. 1858-? McBean, Matilda (Queen Matilda), ca. 1958-1935 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The memorial shows three women facing outward, the leaders of the "Fireburn" Uprising in 1878, the largest labor revolt in Danish colonial history. Dressed in floor-length dresses and aprons, each figure carries objects related to their resistance. One figure lifts a lantern in her right hand (Queen Agnes-Agnes Salomon) . The second figure holds a cane knife in her right hand and a torch in her left (Queen Mary-Mary Thomas), while the third figure holds a torch in her right hand (Queen Matilda-Matilda McBean). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hallier, Richard, 1944-2010 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Dronningens Gade, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands Alternative Title An alternative name for the resource. The distinction between titles and alternative titles is application-specific. The Three Queens of the Virgin Islands Fountain Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Bronze plaque: THE THREE QUEENS OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS In 1878 three former slave ladies on St. Croix led an insurrection against the Danish Government for improved working and living conditions. During this action, a major portion of Frederiksted was destroyed by fire. This revolt is known today as “FIREBURN” and the ladies are renowned as “Queen Mary, Queen Agnes and Queen Matilda” – The Three Queens of the Virgin Islands. Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Three_Rebel_Queens_of_the_Virgin_Islands.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikipedia Commons</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005 Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. "Danish Colonies/The Danish West Indies/Fireburn." Nationalmuseet. Accessed January 27, 2026. https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/historical-themes/danish-colonies/the-danish-west-indies/fireburn/. Fireburn Files Project. Accessed January 27, 2026. https://fireburnfiles.dk/. Virgin Islands Studies Collective (VISC). "Ancestral Queendom: Reflections on the Prison Records of the Rebel Queens of the 1878 Fireburn in St. Croix, USVI (formerly the Danish West Indies." Nordisk Tidsskrift for Informationsvidenskab og Kulturformdling 8, no. 2 (2019): 19-36. Accessed January 27, 2026. https://tidsskrift.dk/ntik/article/view/118478/166419. bronze figurative lantern machete (knife) https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/72f062626ca5c8065626573ba8186322.jpg 8d0138c991edbd2475e46f2aabd9bb47 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource African American History Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials grouped under this theme acknowledge the important contributions of African Americans to American history. Slavery is anchored in the commemorative works as part of the larger story of Black existence in the United States. Some monuments, such as <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1133" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina African-American History Monument</a> and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1134" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas African American History Memorial</a>, include bas-reliefs of enslaved men and women, signaling these states' role in slavery. Other memorials such as <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1183" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truths that Rise from the Roots Remembered</a>, honor the ability of ordinary Black people in Alexandria, Virginia (a slave trade center in the United States) to survive and thrive despite slavery, racism, and white supremacy.  Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Approx: 132 in. (335.28 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource African-American Monument (Savannah, Georgia) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) African Americans--History Georgia--Savannah Public art Public sculpture Slavery--Georgia Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Situated on the tourist promenade of River Street, the monument depicts a Black family in contemporary dress. The father, mother, daughter, and son stand on broken chains, holding one another in a tight embrace. Along the base are engravings of ocean waves and two sets of manacled hands. Words by the poet Maya Angelou are inscribed on the granite base. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Spradley, Dorothy, 1946- Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 27, 2002 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Abigail Jordan and the African American Monument Association. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant John Rousakis Riverfront Plaza, Savannah, Georgia, 31401, United States Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on granite base: “We were stolen, sold and bought together from the African continent. We got on the slave ships together. We lay back to belly in the holds of the slave ships in each other’s excrement and urine together, sometimes died together, and our lifeless bodies thrown overboard together. Today, we are standing up together, with faith and even some joy.” Maya Angelou Bronze plaque with inscription on base: Please help the African American Monument Association Cover the debt for the African American Monument CONTRIBUTIONS MAY BE SENT TO: National Bank of Commerce 2225 E Victory Drive Savannah, GA 31404 or call 912-354-4634 FEDERAL ID NO. 58-1944952 Plaque courtesy of the Savannah College of Art and Design Bronze plaque with inscription added in 2019: The African American Monument Dedicated July 27, 2002 In Honor Of Dr. Abbie H. Jordan (1925-2019) Educator, Leader, Trailblazer, and Community Activist Dr. Jordan’s vision, tenacity, and financial contributions were the driving force that ensured the Savannah Waterfront was the home of the first statue in Savannah that honors African Americans. The Consortium of Doctors, Ltd., an organization that Dr. Jordan founded in 1991, made significant contributions to this effort. Sculptress: Dorothy Spradley This plaque unveiled July 26, 2019 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 132 in. (335.28 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Granite Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:African-American_family_monument,_Savannah,_GA,_US.jpg" title="African-American Monument Savannah" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>Photograph: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:African-American_family_monument,_Savannah,_GA,_US.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikipedia</a> Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Ater, Renée. “Slavery and Its Memory in Public Monuments.” American Art 24, no. 1 (2010): 20-23. Alderman, Derek H. “Surrogation and the Politics of Remembering Slavery in Savannah, Georgia (USA).” Journal of Historical Geography 36 (2010): 90–101. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Greenscapes Division, Public Works & Water Resources, City of Savannah, 2 East Bay Street, Savannah, Georgia, 31401, United States bronze chains figurative granite inscription shackles https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/cbfb7838072ef94e49ac8e0711275620.jpg db38e36309ba9b82e726ee748c3ea4f4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Resistance Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this section commemorate the enslaved and free men and women who resisted bondage and worked to end the institution of slavery. In her book, The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016), historian Manisha Sinha examines the long history of Black resistance to chattel slavery. Resistance to enslavement took many forms—from rebellions aboard slave ships and on plantations to the enslaved slowing the pace of work, breaking tools, feigning illness, and escaping from bondage. The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad; the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three Rebel Queens of the Virgin Islands</a> in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, celebrates the women of the Fireburn Revolt of 1878; and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1156" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaspar Yanga</a> statue highlights a seventeenth-century self-emancipated leader of a maroon colony near Veracruz, Mexico. In the near future, we will add more commemorative works from the Caribbean to this theme including monuments and memorials in Antigua, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 276 in. (701.04 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource I Am Queen Mary (Copenhagen, Denmark) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Denmark--Copenhagen Public art Public sculpture Resistance Transatlantic slave trade Slave insurrections--St. Croix (USVI) Slavery--Denmark Slavery--St. Croix (USVI) Subject (Name) Thomas, Mary (Queen Mary), ca. 1848–1905 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The statue is an allegorical portrait of Mary Thomas, known as Queen Mary, an enslaved woman who worked on a sugar cane planation in the Danish West Indies (now Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands). She led the largest labor revolt in Danish colonial history, the "Fireburn" Uprising in 1878. Mary is shown seated in a wicker throne; she holds a cane knife in one hand and a torch in the other. Dressed in a simple cotton shift and wearing a head wrap, Mary sits atop a plinth made of coral stones cut out of the sea at Saint Croix by enslaved Africans. "In December 2020 a winter storm severely damaged the monument. The figure was removed and an Augmented Reality version of the sculpture was developed to hold space for the work and activate new dialogues. The artists are currently working towards raising the funds to ensure that this towering monument stays at the entrance to Copenhagen's port for generations to come. Acknowledging the imbalances between colonial powers and their former colonies, the fundraising campaign will leverage the visibility and resources generated by the existing monument in Copenhagen to secure the funds to make a companion one possible in St. Croix." (https://www.iamqueenmary.com) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ehlers, Jeannette, 1973- Belle, La Vaughn, 1974- Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 31, 2018 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource The Municipality of Copenhagen; Wow Factory; 3D Printhuset; SMK; The National Gallery of Denmark; ActionAid, Denmark; Beckett-Fonden; the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Vestindisk Pakhus, Toldbodgade 40, 1253 Copenhagen, Denmark Extent The size or duration of the resource. 276 in. (701.04 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Polystyrene; Sealants; Paint; Coral stones from St. Croix, Virgin Islands Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://barnard.edu/news/break-down-i-am-queen-mary-barnard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barnard College</a> Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Barnard University. "Break This Down: I Am Queen Mary at Barnard." October 15, 2019. Accessed February 16, 2025. https://barnard.edu/news/break-down-i-am-queen-mary-barnard. I Am Queen Mary. Accessed February 16, 2025. https://www.iamqueenmary.com/. Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Stone plaque on front of plinth: I Am Queen Mary A Hybrid of Bodies, Nations & Narratives By La Vaughn Belle and Jeannette Ehlers 2018 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Jeannette Ehlers and La Vaughn Belle, https://www.iamqueenmary.com/press-images-for-download. allegory figurative machete (knife) Polystyrene portrait https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/d7af90a63c21d37c73bf8c773db015d6.jpg c839d4a7bd90a2496d9eea1e67a9b9fb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Resistance Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this section commemorate the enslaved and free men and women who resisted bondage and worked to end the institution of slavery. In her book, The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016), historian Manisha Sinha examines the long history of Black resistance to chattel slavery. Resistance to enslavement took many forms—from rebellions aboard slave ships and on plantations to the enslaved slowing the pace of work, breaking tools, feigning illness, and escaping from bondage. The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad; the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three Rebel Queens of the Virgin Islands</a> in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, celebrates the women of the Fireburn Revolt of 1878; and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1156" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaspar Yanga</a> statue highlights a seventeenth-century self-emancipated leader of a maroon colony near Veracruz, Mexico. In the near future, we will add more commemorative works from the Caribbean to this theme including monuments and memorials in Antigua, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 156 in. (396.24 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Estatua de Yanga/Gaspar Yanga (Veracruz, Mexico) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Enslaved persons--Emancipation Maroons--Mexico Mexico--Verzcruz Public art Public sculpture Resistance Slavery--Mexico Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Name) Yanga, Gaspar Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The muscular, semi-nude figure looks resolutely forward as he raises a machete in his right hand and holds a long (sugar cane?) in his left. A shackle with a broken chain is still attached to his left wrist. The work was created to celebrate Gaspar Yanga, a seventeenth-century self-emancipated (former enslaved person) leader of a maroon colony of self-emancipated people near Veracruz, Mexico. He successfully resisted a Spanish attack on the maroon colony in 1609 and later negotiated with the Spanish colonial government to secure self-rule for the maroon settlement. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Negro Yanga, Barrio del Negro Tango, 94930 Yanga, Veracruz, Mexico Alternative Title An alternative name for the resource. The distinction between titles and alternative titles is application-specific. El Yanga Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Plaque: "El Yanga" Negro Africano precursor de la libertad de los negros eslavos fundo este pueblo de San Lorenzo de Cerralvo (hoy Yanga) por acordado del virrey de nueva Espana, Don Rodrigo Osorio Marquez de Cerrvalo, el dia tres de Octobre del ano 1631 por mandato del virrey trazo el pueblo el Capitan Hernando de Castro Espinosa, H. Ayuntamento Constl. 1973-1976 El Yanga ver agosto 10 De 1976 Primer pueblo libre de America English translation: Black African liberator and precursor of the black slaves who founded this town of San Lorenzo de Cerralvo (today Yanga) by agreement of the viceroy of New Spain, Don Rodrigo Osorio Marquez de Cerrvalo, on the third day of October 1631 by order of the viceroy. This town was laid out by Captain Hernando of Castro Espinosa. H. Constl. City Council, 1973-1976. El Yanga on August 10, 1976. First free town in America Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lendechy, Erasmo Vásquez, 1918-2002 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EstatuaYanga.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikimedia Commons</a> Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 10, 1976 Extent The size or duration of the resource. 156 in. (396.24 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Rosas, Salma Lara. "Erasmo Vazquez Lendechy: autor de la escultura en Yanga y ayudante principal de Frieda Kahlo." El Sol de Corodoba, August 11, 2024. Accessed on February 2, 2025, https://oem.com.mx/elsoldecordoba/cultura/quien-fue-erasmo-vazquez-lendechy-historia-del-artista-que-hizo-la-escultura-de-yanga-13224263. Carillo, Karen Juanita. "Mexico's First Liberated City Commemorates Its Founding." JSTOR Daily, October 20, 2021. Accessed February 16, 2025, https://daily.jstor.org/mexicos-yanga-commenorates-founding. Conduru, Roberto. "Transnational Counter-monuments: Anti-Slavery and Pro-Freedom Memorials." ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, July 30, 2021. Accessed January 28, 2026, https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/transnational-counter-monuments/. Enslaved: Peoples of the HIstorical Slave Trade. "Yanga." Enslaved.org. Accessed February 4, 2026. https://enslaved.org/fullStory/16-23-126857/ Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource City of Yanga Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource City of Yanga, Edificio Municipal, Avenue 2, Centro, 94930 Yanga, Veracruz, Mexico bronze figurative machete (knife) https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/0aa704c3d4871292fe24003a6c3de47e.JPG 7b9d6a0d859ac1d837eb411e3ea81d44 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/4a05e37313c4a921d6b63b856b5cae74.jpg 8cfbf2a8a823ab3afd104b902b217217 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/e930604c02b40413abe4b83bc5c5e9ed.JPG 29c92d366e48efe88b4a85822444a1d3 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/e0932e517d6e3816b58345ec6a687c25.jpg c9febadb59758bb06c9344960848692e https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/42b8db159e6d0dd36878602eed70c2f5.JPG 0caf289ad9d1162db57c98dcd2984c55 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/e91f08b2f3719d41011345cd405c05f8.JPG 581ccc98a61925a60094a32ce8864c71 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/507c5710cd945c8cf2853493ae046830.JPG d26987c6387f6d9bf796364dd2163d6a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Transatlantic Slave Trade Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource This collection focuses on commemorative works dedicated to the transatlantic slave trade and the Middle Passage. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, between ten million and twelve million enslaved Africans were forcibly taken across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The Middle Passage refers to the Atlantic route between Africa and the Americas that was part of the transatlantic slave trade. Historians believe that between 15 and 25 percent of the enslaved Africans perished aboard the overcrowded, unsanitary slave ships. The works in this thematic group address the violence and trauma of the transatlantic slave trade in various ways. Monuments such as <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ark of Return</a> on the grounds of the United Nations in New York City, and <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1135" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Middle Passage Monument</a> in St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, use abstraction to commemorate the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. Other memorials such as <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kumbukumbu Ya Historia Ya Watumwa</a> in Stone Town, Zanzibar, and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1166" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atorkor Slave-Trade Memorial</a> (Atorkor, Ghana), use figuration to evoke human presence. Memorialization efforts from Senegal to present-day Nigeria are tied to The Slave Route Project run by UNESCO. Launched in 1994 in Ouidah, Benin, the Slave Route Project has three primary objectives: <ul> <li>Contribute to a better understanding of the causes, forms of operation, stakes and consequences of slavery in the world (Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Asia).</li> <li>Highlight the global transformations and cultural interactions that have resulted from this history.</li> <li>Contribute to a culture of peace by promoting reflection on inclusion, cultural pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the construction of new identities and citizenships. (See https://en.unesco.org/themes/fostering-rights-inclusion/slave-route#isc)</li> </ul> One way that The Slave Route Project fulfills its mission is to engage in "the preservation and promotion of sites and itineraries of memory related to the slave trade and slavery." Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura and Renée Ater Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Captured Africans-Transatlantic Slave Trade Monument (Lancaster, England) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) England--Lancaster Enslaved persons Public art Public sculpture Slavery--England Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Six rectangular Perspex blocks (acrylic), suspended between a rectangular, stainless-steel column and an oblong, stone column, rests on a circular base embellished with a mosaic and small metal sculptures. The work is meant to recall the decks of the transatlantic slave ships that carried enslaved Africans to the Americas. The Perspex blocks are inscribed with the names of the different commodity objects these ships transported to and from the Americas: wealth, cotton, rum, mahogany, sugar, and slaves. The stainless-steel column lists many of the slave ships that departed from Lancaster and the number of enslaved Africans these vessels forcibly seized in Africa. Underscoring the history of these horrific nautical journeys, the mosaic depicts a map detailing the routes of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, while the iron figures personify the trauma and violence of the Middle Passage. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dalton-Johnson, Kevin, 1965- Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 10, 2005 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Slave Trade Art Memorial Project (STAMP); Ann McArdle, (mosaics); High school students from Lancaster and Richmond (iron figures); Millennium Fund ; Arts Council England; Lancaster City Council; Lancashire County Council; Cumbrian Industrials Ltd. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 19 Waterside, Lancaster, LA1 1AY, England Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Perspex; Stainless steel; Iron; Ceramic tile Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Collins, Paul. "Slave Memorial is Labour of Love." Lancaster Guardian. Accessed April 29, 2019. https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/slave-memorial-is-labour-of-love-1-1165642. Rice, Alan. "Discovering Traces of Slavery in a City Fraught with Amnesia: Creating Memorials and Building New Identities in Lancaster." In Creating Memorials, Building Identities: The Politics of Memory in the Black Atlantic, 32-54. Liverpool University Press, 2010. Facing the Past. "Enslaved Africans Memorial." Map, Facing the Past. Accessed February 8, 2026. https://www.facingthepast.org/map/records/slavery-memorial. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs: <a href="https://waymarking.com/waymarks/wm3FZC_Captured_Africans_Lancaster_UK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Waymarking.com</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Lancaster City Council, Town Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 1PJ United Kingdom Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Stainless-steel information plaque: Captured Africans Created by Kevin R. I. Dalton-Johnson "Captured Africans" was developed as part of the Slave Trade Arts Memorial Project (STAMP), an extensive arts education outreach programme led by SuAndi O.B.E. and delivered by artists Sue Flowers, Max Alder, Anthony Watt, Evadney Clarke, Anita Franklin, Faith Bebbington, Steve Papaye Richards and Janet Griffiths. Creative support from Ann McArdle, Alan Ward, Boydell Pipework and Fabrications Ltd., Northern Cast Acrylics, Merseyside Castings & Engineering Co., Thermoplastics Ltd., Trade Engravers Ltd. Funded by The Millillenium Fund, Arts Council England, Lancaster City Council, Lancanshire County Council, Cumbrian Industrial Ltd. abstract figurative inscription iron map Perspex slave ship stainless steel https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/d0a46e259b723a478013be39289f9f7a.jpg af442c285562a5f14c81eeae350ef4a5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Abolition of Slavery Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Renée Ater Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource This grouping of commemorative works focus on the abolition of slavery in countries engaged with the slave trade including England, France, The Netherlands, and Spain. England enacted the Slave Trade Act of 1807, prohibiting the Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire. It did not abolish slavery in its colonies until the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act. France first abolished slavery on February 4, 1794, during the French Revolution. Napolean Bonaparte reinstituted slavery in France's colonies in 1802. Slavery was officially abolished in France with the Decree of the Abolition of Slavery of April 27, 1848. The Netherlands officially abolished slavery in its colonies (Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean) on July 1, 1863, but it was not until July 1, 1873, that enslaved persons were freed from state supervision on plantations. Spain abolished the slave trade in 1817 with a treaty with England, which was not enforced until 1820. However, slavery continued in its colonies. The Spanish National Assembly abolished slavery in Puerto Rico in 1863 and in Cuba in 1886. Updated January 26, 2026 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Slavernijmonument/National Slavery Monument (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Abolition of slavery Public art Public sculpture Slave ships The Netherlands--Amsterdam Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Taken collectively, the elongated bronze figures of enslaved Africans evoke the hull of a ship. An over life-sized woman, her arms outstretched as she arches her body backward, recalls the ship’s prow. The stern of the ship is personified by a number of nude figures, staggering forward, tethered to one another by the shackles around their necks and wrists. The rough-hewn texture of the bronze surface abstracts the individual features of each figure. The memorial commemorates the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands in 1863. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource de Vries, Erwin, 1929-2018 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Stichting Sophiedela; National Platform Slavery Past (Landelijk Platform Slavernijverleden, LPS) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Oosterpark 9, 1092 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slavernij_monument_oosterpark.jpg" target="_blank" title="Slavernijmonument/National Slavery Monument " rel="noopener">Wikipedia Commons</a> Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Kardux, Johanna C. "Monuments of the Black Atlantic: Slavery Memorials in the United States and the Netherlands." In Blackening Europe: The African American Presence, ed. Heike Raphael-Hernandez, 87-105. Routledge: 2004. Horton, James Oliver and Johanna C. Kardux. "Slavery and the Contest for National Heritage in the United States and the Netherlands." American Studies International 42, nos. 2 and 3 (June-October 2004): 51-74. van Stipriaan, Alex, "Disrupting the Canon: The Case of Slavery." In Beyond the Canon: History of the Twenty-first Century, eds. Maria Grever and Siep Sturrman, 205-219. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2007. abstract bronze figurative manacles shackles slave ship https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/58d9f6baaac4bd675804681977e0bdb3.jpg 528fbd511bda5718d6fbd7daa160bdbf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sites of Slavery Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Renée Ater Description An account of the resource For this thematic grouping, sites of slavery are designated as historic places (including plantations, wharves, archaeological sites) where "slavery happened" and that commemorate enslaved Africans, their lives, and their labor. We include sites that act as memorials and often have sculpture, public art, or monuments located on their grounds.  Founded in 2014 as a museum, the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1218" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitney Plantation</a> educates the public about the history of slavery in Louisiana and the brutal production of sugar along the Mississippi River, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The historic plantation complex comprises twelve historic structures including slave cabins, a kitchen, a jail, and the main house. This site of slavery includes four memorials: The Wall of Honor, Allées Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, The Field of Angels, and the 1811 German Coast Uprising Memorials. Other sites of slavery include the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1144" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ACTe Mémorial </a>in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadaloupe, a memorial building and museum on the site of a former sugar plantation; the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1164" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Valongo Wharf</a>, an archaeology site in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that was the debarkation point of an estimated 900,000 enslaved Africans; and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1152" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mémorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage</a> in Nantes, France, on the Quai de la Fosse along the Loire River, the symbolic departure point of slave ships that sailed from France to Africa. Additional sites to be added include the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park along the Alabama River in Montgomery, Alabama, and the African Ancestors Memorial Garden at the International African American Museum located on Gadsden’s Wharf in Charleston, South Carolina. Note: All sites of slavery in West Africa can be found under the theme of the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/collections/show/14" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Transatlantic Slave Trade/Middle Passage.</a> Updated January 26, 2026 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Building and Structure Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mémorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage (Nantes, France) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Abolition of slavery France--Nantes Slave ships Slavery--France Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Object Type) Memorial Description An account of the resource Erected as a space to remember the atrocities of slavery and to commemorate all past and present efforts to resist it, the memorial was constructed in Nantes—the former center of the French slave trade. Designed by an artist and an architect, it features an open-air staircase that leads to an underground space marked by strong geometric lines and a raw aesthetic. A long passageway, lined with subtle lighting showcases a series of wall panels that highlight key historical moments leading to the abolition of the slave trade. The memorial's clean, minimalist design invites quiet reflection. For an in-depth discussion of the memorial, see the website of the Mémorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage Nantes: https://memorial.nantes.fr/en/discovery/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wodiczko, Krzysztof (artist), 1943- Bonder, Julian (architect), 1962- Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 25, 2012 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Building and Structures Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Quai de la Fosse, Passerelle Victor-Schoelcher, 44000 Nantes, France Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. "Discover the Memorial." Mémorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage Nantes. Accessed December 19, 2025. https://memorial.nantes.fr/en/. Furuto, Alison. "Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery / Wodiczko + Bonder." July 26, 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed December 19, 2025. https://www.archdaily.com/256516/memorial-to-the-abolition-of-slavery-wodiczko-bonder. Frith, Nicola. "The Art of Reconciliation: The Memorial to Abolition of Slavery in Nantes." In At the Limits of Memory: Legacies of Slavery in the Francophone World, eds. Nicola Frith and Kate Hodson, 68-89. Liverpool University Press, 2015. CIPDH-UNESCO. "Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery." Memorias Situadas: Sites of Memory Related to Serious Human Rights Violations. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.cipdh.gob.ar/memorias-situadas/en/lugar-de-memoria/memorial-de-la-abolicion-de-la-esclavitud/. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mémorial_Abolition_Esclavage_-_Nantes_(FR44)_-_2022-09-18_-_1.jpg" title="Mémorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikimedia Commons</a> Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Concrete; Corten steel; Glass; Wood Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Consultants Thomas Long, Design Collaboration & Visualization, Graphic Design; Snehal Intwala, Nicholas Capone, James Shen, Ryan McClain, Bill Panasuik, Emmanuelle Chérel (Research); Patrick Charles (Design; Technical Consultant); Maximo Rohm, Ron Henderson, Michael Blier, (Landscape Consultants – USA). Glass Consultants: James Carpenter, James Carpenter Design Associates (preliminary phase); RFR Engineurs, Paris – Philippe Bompas & Nicolo Baldassini (development & construction). Historic Advisors: David Blight, Gilder Lehrman Center on Slavery, Resistance & Abolition, Yale University; Sven Beckert, Harvard University; Kirk Savage, Pittsburgh University; Vince Brown, Duke University. Ville Nantes– Nantes Métropole: Jean-Marc Ayrault, Former Député-Maire de Nantes / Current French Prime Minister; Yannick Guin, conseiller municipal; Octave Cestor, conseiller municipal; Marie-Hélène Jouzeau, directrice Patrimoine et tourisme; Hervé Guégan, chef de projets, Atelier urbain, Nantes Métropole; Jean-Pierre Brindel, directeur Atelier urbain, Nantes Métropole; Aurélie Roger, directeur projets Atelier urbain, Nantes Métropole. Maitre D’Oeuvre: Arcadis Engineurs, Gildas Legall, Bruno Vasseur, Francois Bailly; Roulleau Architectes, Nantes – Michel Roulleau, Jean Marie Beslou. Construction: General Construction: DLE Ouest, Nicholas Boterf; Glass Wall: Polar, Torino, Paolo Cherasco; Inserts: Atelier Barrois, Brioude, Emmanuel Barrois; Lighting: Citelum, Nantes; Landscape: ISIS Espaces Vertes, Nantes; Steel/Metals: CMR, St. Nazaire, Nantes Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Château des Ducs de Bretagne, Musée d’Histoire de Nantes 4, place Marc Elder, 44000 Nantes, France Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Glass plaque with Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Glass plaques with the word "freedom" translated into 47 languages: Freedom (English) Freiheit (German) Libertad (Spanish) Vrijheid (Dutch) Liberdade (Portuguese) Frihed (Danish) Frihet (Norwegian) Свобода (Russian) Vryheid (Swedish) Huriya (Arabic) Yεrεma honron ya (Bambara) Fכundi (Baoulé) Libèté (Haitian creole) Libèté (Cuban creole) Libèté (Jamaican creole) Libèté (Barbadian creole) Libèté (Louisiana creole) Liberdade (Brazilian creole) Liberte (Reunionnais creole) Liberte (Mauritian creole) Libèté (Guadeloupean creole) Libèté (Guyanese creole) Hכrכnya / Hôrônya (Diola) ablɔɖe (Ewé (Togo) Fahodzi (Fang Cameroon) mɛɖesusi jijɛ (Fongbe) Vryheid (Khoïsan) Kimpwanza (Kikongo) Ufolo (Kimbundu) Fahafahana (Malagasy) Hכrכnya / Hôrônya (Malinké) Foroyaa (Mandinka) Hכrכnya / Hôrônya (Senufo) jeg a xoox of (Serer) Xornimo (Somali) Hכrכnya / Hôrônya (Susu) Uhuru (Swahili) Ahofadi (Twi) Lipanda (Vili) Mom sa bop (Wolof) Inkululeko (Xhosa) òmìniraàyèìjælá ìlúayélujára (Yoruba) Inkululeko (Zulu) Yancìì (Hausa) fridɔm (Krio) lɛgbɔɔɓa (Kpelewo) 90-meter glass plate wall with quotations (Grand Passage): Derek Walcott, "Memory," in The Sea is History, 1979 "Where are your monuments, your battles, martyrs? Where is your tribal memory? Sirs, in that gray vault. The sea. The sea has locked them up. The sea is History." Où sont vos monuments, vos batailles, martyrs? Oú est votre mémoire tribale? Messieurs, dans ce gris coffre-fort. La mer. La mer les a enfermés. La mer est l’Histoire. Mary Prince, The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian slave, related by herself, 1831 (Bermudes) "I then saw my sisters led forth, and sold to different owners; so that we had not the sad satisfaction of being partners in bondage. When the sale was over, my mother hugged and kissed us, and mourned over us, begging of us to keep up a good heart, and do our duty to our new masters. It was a sad parting; one went one way, one another, and our poor mother went home with nothing." Puis j’ai vu mes soeurs être emmenées et vendues à différents propriétaires pour que nous n’ayons pas la maigre consolation d’être partenaires dans l’esclavage. À a fin de la vente, ma mère nous a prises dans ses bras, embrassées, pleurées et suppliées de garder un cœur blanc et d’obéir à nos nouveaux maîtres. Ce furent des adieux déchirants; nous sommes parties chacune de notre côté, et notre pauvre maman est rentrée seule á la maison." Victor Schrelcher, Des colonies françaises, 1842 (France) “Si, comme le disent les colons, on ne peut cultiver les Antilles qu’avec des esclaves, il faut renoncer aux Antilles. La raison d’utilité de la servitude pour la conservation des colonies est de la politique de brigands. Une chose criminelle ne doit pas être necessaire. Périssent les colonies, plutôt qu’un principe.” Quotations include the words of Paul Laraque (1994), Adam Smith (1776), Frederick Douglass (1845), Toussaint Louverture (1793), Olaudah Equiano (1789), Abraham Lincoln (1863), Olympe de Gouges (1788), Léger-Félicité Sonthonax (1793), Bob Marley (1980), Frantz Fanon (1952), Axel Gauvin (1983), Abbé Grégoire (1822), Martin Luther King (1963), Aimé Césaire (1939), Toni Morrison (1987), Nelson Mandala (1994), Louis Timagène (1844), Maryse Romanos (1998), Louis Delgrès (1802), and Léopold Sedar Senghor (1977). For a booklet with all of the quotations etched into the glass wall at the Mémorial, see https://memorial.nantes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/citations_francais.pdf. Chronology of Abolition (west end of Grand Passage): 1777: Abolition of slavery in Vermont. 1780: Progressive emancipation of slaves in Pennsylvania. 1783: Progressive emancipation of slaves in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Progressive emancipation of slaves in Rhode Island and Connecticut. August, 26 1789: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, France. 1793: The commissioner of the Republic, Monsieur Sonthonax, abolished slavery in the French possession of Saint-Domingue. 1794: The Convention voted the decree of the abolition of slavery, extending Sonthonax’s abolition to the other French colonies. 1802: Reinstatement of the slave trade by Napoleon Bonaparte in compliance with the laws existing before 1789. 1803: Abolition of the slave trade in Denmark. 1804: Abolition of slavery in Haiti. 1806: Britain banned the slave trade for British subjects. 1807: The United States banned the importation of captives and slaves. Britain banned the slave trade on African coasts. Abolition of slavery in Prussia. 1808: The United States banned the slave trade. 1814: Holland banned the slave trade. 1815: During the Vienna Congress, the principal European powers (Austrian Empire, Great Britain, France, Portugal, Russia, and Sweden) made a commitment to end the slave trade. But the practice persisted undercover. During the Hundred Days, Napoleon 1st signed a decree banning the slave trade. 1817: French Law abolished the slave trade. It was reinstated on April 25, 1827 and on February 2, 1831. 1821: Peru: all descendants of slaves born after this date were free, progressive emancipation of those born earlier and prohibition of the slave trade. 1822: Abolition of slavery in Santo Domingo. The state of Liberia was founded in West Africa by an American Colonization Company for the resettlement of former slaves. 1823: Abolition of slavery in Chile. 1824: Abolition of slavery in Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Belize, Salvador, Guatemala. 1826: Abolition of slavery in Bolivia. 1827: Second French law banning the slave trade. 1829: Abolition of slavery in Mexico. 1830: Abolition of slavery in Uruguay. 1833-1838: Enactment of the Abolition bill that provides for a progressive abolition of slavery in the British colonies (West Indies, British Guiana, Mauritius and India). 1836: Complete abolition of slavery in the British colonies. Abolition of slavery in Nicaragua. 1840 and 1843: Global anti-slavery convention in London. 1842: Abolition of slavery in Uruguay and Paraguay. 1846: Abolition of slavery in Tunisia. 1846-1848: Abolition of slavery in the Danish Virgin Island colonies. Saint-Thomas, Saint-Jean, Sainte-Croix. 1847: Abolition of slavery in the Swedish colony of Saint-Barthélemy. 1848: The abolition of slavery was decreed on April 27, 1848 in the French colonies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guiana, The Reunion Island). 1850: Official abolition of the slave trade in Brazil. However it continued illegally. 1851: Abolition of slavery in Columbia and Ecuador. 1853: Abolition of slavery in Argentina. 1854: Abolition of slavery in Venezuela, Jamaica, and Peru. 1861: Ban of serfdom in Russia. 1863: Abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean and Indonesia. 1865: Enactment of the 13th Amendment banning slavery in the United States. 1866: Spanish decree banning the slave trade. 1869: Abolition of slavery in Portuguese colonies. 1873: Abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico, a Spanish colony at the time. 1876: Abolition of slavery in Turkey. 1885: Adoption of measures against slavery in Africa at the Berlin Conference. 1886: Abolition of slavery in Cuba. 1888: Effective abolition of slavery in Brazil. For the full chronology, see the website of the Mémorial de l'abolition de l'esclavage Nantes: https://memorial.nantes.fr/en/key-dates-in-the-chronology-of-abolitions/#contenu. concrete Corten steel etched glass slave ship wood https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/c97fa0b3696a9312696d8c1fa5ff9a9e.jpg 2ca7e07487306780d3e3596fd9864528 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Abolition of Slavery Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Renée Ater Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource This grouping of commemorative works focus on the abolition of slavery in countries engaged with the slave trade including England, France, The Netherlands, and Spain. England enacted the Slave Trade Act of 1807, prohibiting the Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire. It did not abolish slavery in its colonies until the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act. France first abolished slavery on February 4, 1794, during the French Revolution. Napolean Bonaparte reinstituted slavery in France's colonies in 1802. Slavery was officially abolished in France with the Decree of the Abolition of Slavery of April 27, 1848. The Netherlands officially abolished slavery in its colonies (Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean) on July 1, 1863, but it was not until July 1, 1873, that enslaved persons were freed from state supervision on plantations. Spain abolished the slave trade in 1817 with a treaty with England, which was not enforced until 1820. However, slavery continued in its colonies. The Spanish National Assembly abolished slavery in Puerto Rico in 1863 and in Cuba in 1886. Updated January 26, 2026 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 196.8 in. (499.87 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fers, hommage au General Dumas (Paris, France) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Abolition of slavery France--Paris Public art Public sculpture Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Name) Davy de La Pailleterie, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, 1762-1806 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Made in 2008, the monumental ironwork is dedicated to both the memory of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas (Davy de La Pailleterie), the first Black general in France and in acknowledgment of the abolition of slavery. The memorial was dedicated on April 4, 2009, with support from UNESCO. The work, consisting of two broken shackles and iron chains, was erected on the site of Alphonse-Emmanuel de Moncel's Monument au Général Dumas (1913). The Vichy regime destroyed this statue in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lacourt, Driss Sans-Arcidet, 1960- also known as Le Musée Khômbol Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 4, 2009 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Claude Ribbe; L'association des amis du Général Dumas; Office of the Mayor of Paris Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Jardin Solitude, Place du General Catroux, Avenue de Villiers, 75017 Paris, France Extent The size or duration of the resource. 196.8 in. (499.872 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Iron Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. "Un symbole contre l'esclavage en plein Paris." Le Parisien, February 18, 2009. Accessed April 29, 2019. http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/paris-75017/un-symbole-contre-l-esclavage-en-plein-paris-18-02-2009-414757.php. "Paris : Fers brisés, hommage au général Thomas Alexandre Dumas, une oeuvre signée Musée Khômbol alias Driss Sans-Arcidet - XVIIème." Paris La Douce, June 15, 2019. Accessed December 20, 2025. https://www.parisladouce.com/2019/06/paris-fers-brises-hommage-au-general.html. Khadraoui-Fortune, Sophia. "General Alexandre Dumas: A Century-long Tale of Memorials." Contemporary French Civilization 50, no. 4 (December 4, 2025): 389-409. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jardin_Solitude_et_Fers_Paris_2022.jpg" title="Jardin Solitude et Fers Paris 2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikimedia Commons</a> Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Signage: Général Alexandre Dumas Œuvre réalisée par Musée Khômbol 2008 Dominique Tillard Constructeur Commande publique de la Ville de Paris Thomas-Alexandre Davy de La Pailleterie, né esclave à Jérémie (Saint-Domingue, aujourd'hui Haïti) le 25 mars 1762 d'une femme esclave d'origine africaine et d'un colon, mort libre à Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne) le 26 février 1806. Il s'engage à vingt-quatre ans comme cavalier sous le pseudonyme d'Alexandre Dumas. Héroïque combattant des armées révolutionnaires, il sera rapidement promu général, le premier d'origine afro antillaise. Commandant en chef de l'armée des Pyrénées, des Alpes, de l'Ouest, fondateur des Chasseurs alpins, héros de l'armée d'Italie, connu pour son courage et sa valeur exceptionnels, mais aussi sa sensibilité, son respect des prisonniers et des populations civiles, il saura démissionner pour épargner les Vendéens et sa conscience, justifiant son surnom de Monsieur de l'Humanité Capturé à son retour de l'expédition d'Égypte, il subit deux années d'une dure détention et, revenu en France en 1802 au moment du rétablissement de l'esclavage, il n'obtient le bénéfice d'aucun des honneurs qui lui sont dus. Son fils reprendra ce même pseudonyme d'Alexandre Dumas et s'inspirera des aventures du Général pour écrire Les Trois Mousquetaires, dont le succès contribuera à faire de lui l'écrivain français le plus lu dans le monde. Un troisième Alexandre Dumas, auteur de La Dame aux Camélias, petit-fils du Général, viendra clore cette dynastie. La présente œuvre remplace la statue de 1913 détruite sous l'occupation nazie et rejoint sur cette place les monuments dédiés à son fils et son petit-fils. English translation: Thomas-Alexandre Davy de La Pailleterie, born a slave in Jérémie (Saint-Domingue, today Haiti) on March 25, 1762 to a slave woman of African origin and a colonist, died free in Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne, France) February 26, 1806. He signed up as a rider at the age of twenty-four under the pseudonym Alexandre Dumas. A heroic fighter in revolutionary armies, he was quickly promoted to general, the first of Afro-Caribbean origin. Commander-in-chief at times, of the armies of the Pyrenees, the Alps, and the West, founder of the Alpine Hunters, hero of the army of Italy, known for his exceptional courage and valor, but also his sensitivity, his respect for prisoners and civilian populations, he also would know how to resign to spare the Vendéens and his conscience, justifying his nickname of Monsieur de l'Humanité. Captured on his return from the Egyptian expedition, he underwent two years of harsh detention and, returning to France in 1802 at the time of the reestablishment of slavery, he did not obtain the benefit of any of the honors which were due to him. His son took up the same pseudonym of Alexandre Dumas and was inspired by the General's adventures to write The Three Musketeers, the success of which helped to make him the most widely read French writer in the world. A third Alexandre Dumas, author of La Dame aux Camélias, grandson of the General, completed this dynasty. This work replaces the 1913 statue destroyed under the Nazi occupation and joins the monuments dedicated to his son and grandson on this square. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Office of the Mayor of Paris, Hôtel de Ville, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, 75004 Paris, France abstract chains iron shackles https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/e32a210f39d1e4c462eb8eb7dd520d87.JPG 9debabba74510aec7d964631f5603e7d https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/6da7d002d202e2ddb9ee6af1cbddd03f.JPG 565efe4ecbd684a276ff5f01115eca0c https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/26e685e6e420d81f7fa83cd6268ddb4b.JPG c23f6796d9f6756c68907efec9c46e02 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/933aa76f1737b289e92fc9fbe96755aa.JPG 49bb2456c67e8a4be14bd14379a6ac28 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/96d641e3c8e5857be470fac6e923da4d.JPG 8dc82e7a3ab0501e9a4a0cf536ad0603 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/fd1880a8c6ea6e2060453dbc083f73b5.JPG ef6e737e40221a0f30c6984ef2ce1720 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Transatlantic Slave Trade Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource This collection focuses on commemorative works dedicated to the transatlantic slave trade and the Middle Passage. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, between ten million and twelve million enslaved Africans were forcibly taken across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The Middle Passage refers to the Atlantic route between Africa and the Americas that was part of the transatlantic slave trade. Historians believe that between 15 and 25 percent of the enslaved Africans perished aboard the overcrowded, unsanitary slave ships. The works in this thematic group address the violence and trauma of the transatlantic slave trade in various ways. Monuments such as <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1137" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Ark of Return</a> on the grounds of the United Nations in New York City, and <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1135" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Middle Passage Monument</a> in St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands, use abstraction to commemorate the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. Other memorials such as <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kumbukumbu Ya Historia Ya Watumwa</a> in Stone Town, Zanzibar, and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1166" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atorkor Slave-Trade Memorial</a> (Atorkor, Ghana), use figuration to evoke human presence. Memorialization efforts from Senegal to present-day Nigeria are tied to The Slave Route Project run by UNESCO. Launched in 1994 in Ouidah, Benin, the Slave Route Project has three primary objectives: <ul> <li>Contribute to a better understanding of the causes, forms of operation, stakes and consequences of slavery in the world (Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Asia).</li> <li>Highlight the global transformations and cultural interactions that have resulted from this history.</li> <li>Contribute to a culture of peace by promoting reflection on inclusion, cultural pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the construction of new identities and citizenships. (See https://en.unesco.org/themes/fostering-rights-inclusion/slave-route#isc)</li> </ul> One way that The Slave Route Project fulfills its mission is to engage in "the preservation and promotion of sites and itineraries of memory related to the slave trade and slavery." Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura and Renée Ater Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kumbukumbu Ya Historia Ya Watumwa/Memory for the Slaves (Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Enslaved persons Slave market--Zanzibar Slave trade--Indian Ocean Slavery--Zanzibar Tanzania--Zanzibar--Stone Town Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Created by the Swedish artist Clara Sörnäs at the Bagamoyo Arts and Cultural Institute, the monument includes five nude torsos of enslaved Africans who emerge from stone pillars. The surface of the pillars is rough and a pebbled texture that resembles the stones that fill the concrete pit that surround the five figures. The five cast concrete figures, all but one of whom are chained around the neck, are located on the site of the last slave market in Africa in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sörnäs, Clara, 1966- Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Christ Church, Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Slave+Chambers/@-6.1645032,39.1926727,18z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x185cd059318257d9:0x73091b66b9d70cd2!2sAnglican+Cathedral!8m2!3d-6.1629403!4d39.1926016!3m4!1s0x185cd05ecaed09bb:0x7840e2a061706433!8m2!3d-6.1634083!4d39.1925146"></a> Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Concrete; Iron Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Rhodes, Daniel T. "History, Materialization, and Presentation of Slavery in Tanzania." Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage 7, no. 2 (2018): 165-191. Fouéré, Marie-Aude. "Museumizing the Slave Trade and Slavery in Zanzibar: Truth, Untruth, and Uncertainty at the Old Slave Market." Ethnologie française 50 (2020): 109-124. Accessed February 9, 2024. https://shs.cairn.info/journal-ethnologie-francaise-2020-1-page-109?lang=en. Sansone, Livio and Wilson Profírio Nicaquela. "O Futuro da Mémoria da Escravidão no Índico: Lembrar e Esquecer na Ilha de Moçambique e Zanzibar." Afro-Ásia no. 71 (2025): 1-46. (The Future of the Memory of Slavery in the Indian Ocean: Remembering and Forgetting on the Island of Mozambique and Zanzibar) Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Adrienne Childs Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1998 Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Signage: Kumbukumbu Ya Historia Ya Watumwa Memory for the Slaves Sponsored by Benot Ulin Tanzania Cigarette Company Boliden Contech Adea Brown Boveri Okanska Owed Fund Ericsson Made by Clara Sörnäs at Sculpture Project Bagamoyo: 1997-98 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Benot Ulin; Tanzania Cigarette Company; Boliden Contech; Adea Brown Boveri; Okanska; Owed Fund; Ericsson; Bagamoyo Arts and Cultural Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Mnazi Mmoja, Zanzibar, P. O. Box 2277, Zanzibar chains concrete iron shackles