Learnings – FREEDOM SUITS MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

BRONZE PLAQUE HONORS COUNTLESS ENSLAVED BLACK AMERICANS INHUMANELY TRAFFICKED BY SLAVE TRADER BERNARD LYNCH IN DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS

18 Mar 202613 Jul 2026

This group includes Rasheen Aldridge, Jr., Trish Gunby, Mayor Cara Spencer, Missouri Historical Society President, Jody Sowell, and Washington University Professor, Geoff Ward. Additional reading:https://www.journalofthecivilwarera.org/2022/03/the-remarkable-story-of-mattie-j-jackson/lynchs-slave-pen/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-emancipation-finally-came-slave-markets-took-redemptive-purpose-180968260/ https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2021-01-28/lynchs-slave-pens-in-shadow-of-busch-stadium-will-get-historical-marker https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/news/on-the-map-lynchs-slave-pens.cfm

Particularly Relevant

4 Jul 20254 Jul 2025

On this day, we remember Nina Simone's famous quote about "freedom." "I'll tell you what freedom is to me: No fear!" This quote encapsulates her view that true freedom is…

The Hashtag #HandsOff Serves as a Unifying Force

3 May 20258 May 2025

The underlying purpose of this Foundation is as stated on our homepage: "Committed to sharing the stories of the St. Louis freedom suits and the long Black freedom struggle in…

Narrative for the FSMF Logo and Seal

8 Mar 20258 Mar 2025

Our media board member, Mark Carroll, the creative director for our Virtual Learning Center/Website, has fashioned both a logo and a companion seal for our media presence. The logo represents…

Rescuing History: Rediscovering the St. Louis Freedom Suits

4 Jul 202424 Aug 2025

PRESIDENT’S NOTE It was almost eight years into my service of helping Judge Mason make the Freedom Suits Memorial a reality that I learned the amazing back story about how…

We Must Remember

16 Jun 202416 Jun 2024

Fredrick Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” remains a relevant lamentation. The presence of the Freedom Suits Memorial stands as another acknowledgement and reminder of…

Elements of The Memorial

20 Oct 202330 Oct 2025

INTRODUCTION The Freedom Suits Memorial has been the dream of Founder, the Honorable David C. Mason since before 2010. He campaigned with tireless devotion to make the dream a reality. In 2014…

Ceremony for New Cemetery Monument for Dred Scott

6 Oct 202328 Dec 2023

This past Saturday, just two weeks after the 165th anniversary of the death of Dred Scott, his great-great granddaughter, Lynne M. Jackson, led a ceremony dedicating a new, fitting, nine-foot-tall,…

Juneteenth Perspectives

12 Jun 202328 Jan 2024

The Freedom Suits Memorial Foundation celebrates Juneteenth by examining its history and its potential impact on current generations of all ethnicities. Compelling reading: "The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth," from the…