The Stagville Memorial Project

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The Stagville Memorial Project

Bringing lesser known histories to light through public art in downtown Durham

12/02/2025

Thank you for the ways you’ve participated in the furthering of The Stagville Memorial Project’s mission this year. We have completed a wonderful round of engagement with members of the Durham community and Stagville descendants, launched an artist call, and are currently reviewing applicants. We are so grateful for the ways you’ve supported us with your time and resources.

This we invite you to join us in our efforts to establish public art in downtown Durham, highlighting the history of the many Stagville descendants and their contributions to Durham’s community and culture. Visit the link in our bio to make a one-time or monthly financial donation 💌

10/13/2025

📣 REMINDER: It’s the final week to apply for the Public Artworks RFQ! The application closes on Friday, October 17, at 11:59 pm. Apply today via the link in our bio 🔗

09/19/2025

Need more information about the RFQ? Have questions about the application process? Join us for our pre-submittal webinar on September 24th at 12:00 pm EDT to learn more about the public artworks project. Link to register in our bio 🔗

09/15/2025

Today is the day — our Request for Qualifications is live! The Stagville Memorial Project in partnership with the City of Durham and Durham County, invites public artists (or artist teams) to apply to be a finalist for The Stagville Memorial Project Public Artworks at the upcoming Durham Rail Trail Gateway Plaza. The RFQ is open until 11:59 pm EDT on October 17th.

For more information, visit the link in our bio. Apply today and don’t forget to share!

08/26/2025

📣 Coming Soon: The Stagville Memorial Project Request For Qualifications is going live on September 15th!

The Stagville Memorial Project, in partnership with the City of Durham and Durham County, is supporting 3 distinct public art pieces at the upcoming Durham Rail Trail that highlight the story of Stagville and the impact of Stagville descendants on Durham’s community and culture. If you, or someone you know, is a public artist with experience working with historically marginalized populations, please be on the lookout for the RFQ release.

07/25/2025

We’re deeply thankful for the meaningful connections we made with descendants and community members throughout Juneteenth weekend 🖤

Swipe through to see highlights from our Descendants Meet & Greet, hosted in collaboration with Historic Stagville (with special thanks to the Historic Stagville Foundation and The Turner House for their support) and from the Bragtown/Merrick Moore Juneteenth Celebration at Lakeview Park - our fourth year in attendance!

Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared stories, and dreamed aloud about building the kind of community we want to live in - one where our community is honored and made visible in the places we gather every day.

——

📸:

07/21/2025

In addition to being a part of our team, Sully was a legal intern for Senior Associate Justice Anita Earls. The legal team is hosting a celebration of life tomorrow, July 22, at 12 pm.

2 E Morgan St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Third Floor Courtroom

Please join us by RSVPing through the link in our bio.

06/30/2025

Our summer plans keep growing ☀️

Join us July 4-5 at the 2025 Festival for the Eno! Get your tickets for two full days of music, crafts, and more, all held on the Eno River. For more information visit enofest.org. Can’t wait to see you there!

—
🎨: and The Splinter Group
📸:

06/19/2025

A statement regarding Board of Director changes.

To Supporters of The Stagville Memorial Project:

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Stagville Memorial Project (SMP), we extend our sincere gratitude to Mr. Ricky L. Hart for his dedicated leadership and service during the formative years of our organization. His tireless efforts and deep commitment were instrumental in shaping the health and direction of our mission. His absence will be felt profoundly.

We continue to move forward with our mission which is to thoughtfully and respectfully develop a piece of public art that tells the stories of Stagville descendants and fosters public awareness of their enduring impact on Durham’s community and culture. We believe this work has the potential to expand public knowledge, deepen appreciation for the lives of descendants, and inspire further research into their histories and present-day experiences.

Under the leadership of Mr. Hart, SMP has made significant strides in establishing the foundational systems and processes that have guided the advancement of this
significant project, one that is rooted in respect, remembrance, and justice for the
enslaved individuals and their descendants. While we cannot undo the pain and loss
endured by those enslaved at Stagville, we have worked diligently to engage the City of Durham, Durham County, and numerous generous donors in support of creating a memorial to honor their legacy and our shared heritage.

In recent weeks, allegations have been made against the Stagville Memorial Project
that question our integrity and dedication to the voices of descendants. These claims, though hurtful and distressing, are unfounded. From our inception, descendants have been at the heart of this work. We have consistently prioritized their inclusion in leadership and decision-making, and at all times, at least one descendant has held an officer position within our organization.

We deeply value the cooperation and collaboration we have experienced with Mr. Hart and the Stagville Descendants’ Council. The SMP Board remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the descendants of the Stagville, and we remain profoundly grateful to Mr. Hart for his guidance and contributions.

We are excited for the opportunities that lie ahead and for the many people who will
come into contact with this powerful history. It is our hope that the memorial will honor the past and also inspire future generations.

With respect and gratitude,

Nicol Revis Jackson, Co-Chair, Stagville Descendant
Donna Frederick, Co-Chair
Bill Amey, Treasurer, Stagville Descendant
Vannessa Mason Evans, General Board Member
Macklyn Mosley, General Board Member
Vanessa Hines, Executive Director

Stagville Memorial Project
The Board of Directors

06/10/2025

Over the last few weeks, we have begun our community engagement efforts and asked Duhram community members to share their thoughts on how public art can help tell the story and amplify the legacy of Stagville’s descendants in Durham.

Here’s a recap of where we have been:

🔸In April, we held our Community Engagement Kick-Off at ReCity, where esteemed panelists (from left to right) Reynolds Chapman, Khadija McNair, Dr. Charles Johnson, and Ricky Hart shared why remembering our collective history is crucial for our community today. Our community engagement consultant, Tawannah Allen, moderated the panel and guided attendees through creating a community vision board.
🔸Last month, we visited St. Philip’s Episcopal Church to share the history of our organization and invite members to contribute to our StoryCards (short answer questions), which you can participate in on our website.
🔸We also participated in the Bimbé Festival! We had a wonderful time sharing project information and participating in this annual cultural celebration.

Coming up, we’ll be at the Bragtown + Merrick Moore Juneteenth Festival on June 21st! We hope to see you there!

——

📸:

04/21/2025

Join The Stagville Memorial Project for our Public Art Community Engagement Kick-Off this Thursday!

The Stagville Memorial Project has partnered with public art departments at the City of Durham and Durham County to bring a creative public art piece honoring the legacy of those descended from Stagville to downtown Durham. Our panelists for the evening will include:

Ricky Hart - Chair of the Stagville Descendants Council
Khadija McNair - Former Historic Stagville Assistant Site Director and current Freedom Park Raleigh Director
Reynolds Chapman - DurhamCares Executive Director
Dr. Charles Johnson - Chair of History Department at NCCU

Learn more about our project’s background, hear from like-minded non-profit partners, and dream about what this public art can look like. We will have ASL and Spanish interpreters available throughout the evening, as well as light refreshments. RSVP at our invitation link 🔗 — https://pp.events/b2b8WANP

Address

Durham, NC
27701, 27702, 27703, 27704, 27705, 27706, 27707, 27708, 27709, 27710, 27711, 277

Website

http://stagvillememorialproject.org/

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What is the Stagville Memorial Project

The mission of the Stagville Memorial Project is to establish a memorial in downtown Durham in honor of those enslaved at Stagville Plantation. In so doing, we hope to bring more awareness about the Stagville Historic Site and help the Durham community continue to engage in conversations surrounding racial disparities in our city.

Stagville Plantation was the largest plantation in North Carolina. It sits approximately 9 miles north of downtown Durham. Over the course of Stagville’s existence, it is estimated that the plantation enslaved well over 2,000 people. Many of the people who left the plantation after emancipation settled in communities within what is now our city limits, like Bragtown and Hayti.

However, outside of grave markers, there is an absence of prominent, well-known memorials in Durham to enslaved people. Unless one seeks out a visit to Stagville, there are not public spaces that invite people to lament the institution of slavery and ponder its enduring legacies. We hope that by establishing a memorial in a prominent and public place, some humanity and dignity will be restored, and racial inequities that persist will continue to be seen in light of this history.