To the editor:

The Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project has kicked off its September fundraising campaign. We are thrilled to announce that three Rhode Island artists have been selected by independent jurors to design a meaningful Memorial. Their interpretation of Bristol’s Triangle Human Trade will be the best way to bring us all together — by public art!

Our community effort continues to grow and we hope you will join other supporters in building a Memorial to honor the peoples of African and Indigenous ancestry who were impacted by this inhumane system. You will be invited at a later date to review the three artists’ proposals and offer comments to assist in the final selection.

Bristol is among the United Nations UNESCO international “Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty, and Heritage.” This Town approved Memorial in Independence Park will be a source of healing in learning, remembrance and reconciliation.

The economic engine of slavery began in the North, not the South. Historian Keith Stokes has noted documentation in the RI Black Heritage Society data base that between 1705-1807 Rhode Island dominated all aspects of the transatlantic slave trade. Rhode Island had over 1,000 slaving voyages, with Bristol dominating in the end of the 18th and into the 19th centuries.

This Memorial will be a beacon of light on Bristol Harbor where all can gather, reflect, and find solace. You have the opportunity to be a part of this community endeavor to erect this important Memorial in acknowledgment of Bristol’s history.

Donations are greatly appreciated. Please make your tax deductible gift to:

BMPPMP or Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project
PO BOX 871
BRISTOL, RI 02809

You may also visit us at BMPPMP.org to donate online.

On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, we gratefully thank you for your support!

Susan C. Maloney
Chair, Fundraising
Bristol Middle Passage Port Marker Project