By 2014, all the judges of the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit had already supported Judge Mason’s concept of a memorial for those involved in the St. Louis freedom suits. They then voted and approved that Judge Mason should form a Steering Committee to commence real planning and fundraising. Early on, fundraising proved to be challenging. As somewhat of a surprise, these stories were difficult to effectively convey to capture the spirit of these brave plaintiffs in a booth presentation at events. By late 2019, Chair Paul Venker suggested we may need to use a very short “talking head” video to share. In early 2020, despite being in the midst of the pandemic, we knew we needed to commence fundraising in earnest.
Between May and mid-July 2020, local video production company, Coolfire Studios, successfully completed the daunting task of telling the complex story of these courageous enslaved Blacks in a concise but compelling format, complete with a soundtrack and inspiring images. They did so in a powerful, 13-minute video which had appearances by two St. Louis mayors, St. Louis NAACP President, Adolphus Pruitt, Judge David Mason, and freedom suits scholar, Professor David T. Konig. The final video production was exponentially more powerful and compelling than we on the Steering Committee could have imagined. Furthermore, the video approach was particularly well-suited to help us reach potential donors when personal contact was almost out of the question for at least many months. It first posted on the internet in July 2020. As of October 25, 2023, it has: reached 114,052 people; logged 300,174, impressions; and, received 3,065, post reactions, comments and shares.
The pandemic disrupted the fabrication of the centerpiece sculpture by Preston Jackson, due to supply chain issues for bronze and also drove up the cost of materials (as many industry segments also experienced). We finally decided to unveil the Memorial on Juneteenth in 2022, which added to the celebration because it was to be the first national celebration of that historic June 19, 1865, event.
The Freedom Suits Memorial Steering Committee – and now, the FSM Foundation – has welcomed donations of all sizes because all members strongly believe it should be a community-supported project. Every donation is greatly appreciated! As of this writing, our donations have ranged from $25.00 to $100,000.00. The need for funds to support the mission of the Foundation’s ambitious educational mission continues. You can help us with that mission with your donation!
If you would like to contribute to this historical work, you may do so by clicking here.
FREEDOM SUITS MEMORIAL AND FREEDOM SUITS MEMORIAL FOUNDATION DONORS*
$100,000
Centene Foundation
$50,000
Bryan Cave Leighton and Paisner
Dowd Bennett LLP
Mark and Susan Bronson/Newman Bronson & Wallis
Gray Ritter Graham, P.C.
Husch Blackwell LLP
Anthony and Kim Thompson/Kwame Building Group
St. Louis Bar Foundation/Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Thompson Coburn LLP
$25,000
Ameren Corporation
Spire
$20,000
Brown & Crouppen
Eric Holland/Holland Law Firm LLC
$15,000
Armstrong Teasdale LLP
Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC
Capes Sokol
Mound City Bar Association
$10,000
Alaris / Deborah Weaver
Carmody MacDonald P.C.
Dowd & Dowd, PC
Edward Jones Foundation
Littler Mendelson, PC
Midwest BankCentre
Missouri Athletic Club Foundation for the Arts
Polsinelli PC
Diane M. and Paul N. Venker
Paul and Lynn Ann Vogel
$5,000
Brown & James, P.C.
Cook, Bartholomew, Shevlin, Cook & Jones, LLP
Curtis, Heinz, Garrett & O’Keefe PC
Hon. Colleen Dolan and Hon. Glenn Norton
Evans & Dixon, L.L.C.
Robert and Cathleen Haar
Haar & Woods, LLP
HeplerBroom LLC
Michael & Molly Hunter
Joy Kessler
Lashly & Baer P.C.
Lewis Rice
Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Mickes O’Toole, LLC
April and Kenneth S. Powell, III
The Powell Law Firm
Royal Vagabonds Foundation
Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C.
Spencer Fane LLP
The St. Louis Blues
Robert Tomaso Family
Tueth Keeney Cooper Mohan Jackstadt P.C.
$2,500
J. Danielle Carr
Casey, Devoti & Brockland PC
Bob Fox & Maxine Clark
Daniel J. Godar & Gretchen Myers
Hamilton Weber LLC
Cary and Dee Mogerman
William Polk / Egis Capital Partners
Grier C. Raclin / Graclin Consulting, LLC
Nathan & Kathy Schrenk
Zevan Davidson Roman LLC
$2,000
Hon. E. Richard Webber
$1,500
Growe Eisen Karlen Eilers, LLC
Mark and Patty Mantovani and Family
$1,250
Stuart Block
Anthony Thompson
$1,000
Andy’s Seasoning, Inc.
William and Angela Bay
Brinker & Doyen, L.L.P.
Gary K. Burger
Ellen Bonacorsi
Ian and Patty Cooper & Family
Cosgrove Law Group
Katharyn & Elliot Davis (Davis & Travaglini LLC)
Dentons US LLP
Dobson Berns & Rich LLP
Celestine Dotson
Anne and Gonzalo Fernandez
Fox Smith, LLC
Timothy J. Gallagher / Gallagher Davis, L.L.P.
Hon. John Garvey
Gausnell, O’Keefe & Thomas, LLC
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
Michael P. Gunn (The Gunn Law Firm, P.C.)
Sheena Hamilton
Hon. Philip D. Heagney
Jerry M. Hunter
Holland Injury Law, LLC
Kamykowski & Taylor
Kennedy Hunt PC
Sara E. Kessler
Ruth E. Kim and David T. Hamilton
Prof. David T. Konig and Judith Mann
The Lawyers Association of St. Louis
Lewis Brisbois
Michele M. Maue
Walter and Cynthia Metcalfe
James R. Neely
Sara & Tom Neill
Padberg Corrigan & Appelbaum
PARIC Holdings
Pitzer Snodgrass, P.C.
PohlmanUSA Court Reporting
Countess W. Price
Benjamin F. Rassieur, III
Regency Enterprises Services LLC
Vincent D. Reese
Rossiter & Boock, LLC
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis
Rynearson, Suess, Schnurbusch & Champion, LLC
Reuben A. Shelton, III
Jeffrey St. Omer
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis County Bar Association
Tre’Vien A. Teer
Cheryl Walker
Hon. Donald G. and Donna Wilkerson
Winters Law Group
Alvin A. Wolff , Jr.
The Women Lawyers’ Association
$500
Monique D. Abby
Seth & Cynthia Albin
Theresa A. Appelbaum
Robert Arrol
Eric K. Banks
Daniel Barnett-Foster
Beth Boggs
Hon. Joan M. Burger
Joseph and Lyn Castellano
Patrick I. Chavez
Hon. Anne-Marie Clarke
Douglas A. Copeland
Armeta Cotton
Ruben Crawford
Hon. Willie & Mischa Epps
Bridget Fehrenbach / for St. Francis Community Services
Bruce and Hon. Audrey Fleissig
Michael S. Geigerman (USA&M)
Kenneth Goins
David Gunn
Brandon M. Hall
Maureen & Steven Hannon
Steven Harmon
David J. Harris
Annette P. Heller
Todd N. Hendrickson
Lisa A. Herder and Edward J. Hejlek
Hon. Kendra R. Howard
Hon. Michael T. Jamison
Lloyd J. Jordan
Katherine Keller
Robert Litz (USA&M)
Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Gregory J. Minana
Loretta Moore
Sandra M. Moore
Hon. Mark H. Neill
Sonni Nolan
Ronald A. and Kimberly J. Norwood
Martin and Maria Perron
Allison Price
John Rasp
Patricia Redington
Priscilla Rhodes
Annette E. Slack
Francis and Kim Slay
Jennifer L. Schwendemann
Mary Beth Soffer
James G. Thomeczek
Mavis T. Thompson
Hon. Lisa Van Amburg
Lynn Ann Vogel
Harry (Hal) W. Wellford, Jr.
Freida L Wheaton
Dorothy White-Coleman
Hope E. Whitehead
World Wide Technology Foundation
$300
Charlene N. Kass
Edward Zimmerman
$250
Behr, McCarter & Potter, P.C.
Bollwerk & Tatlow LLC
Ryan Bruning
Benjamin Edwards
Mary E. Hoffman
Hon. W. Brent Powell
Tamee V. Reese
Stephen W. Skrainka
Thomas J. Smith
Howard S. Smotkin
Adrian P. Sulser
$200
Russell K. Osgood
Maury B. Poscover
Kevin C. Roberts
Robert & Eva Sterner
$150
Brian Foster
Hon. Rex Burlison
Brandy K. Simpson
Up to $100
Robert S. Adler
Thomas R. Applewhite
Hon. Nannette A. Baker
Jon M. Baris
Hon. Susan E. Block
Norma Maret Bolin
Pamela Brown
Claire Budd
Cheryl A. Callis
Jeanne Cantalin
Kenneth M. Chackes
Debbie S. Champion
Martha Charepoo
Phyleccia Reed Cole
Susan Davis
Joanne M. Descher
David M. Eisenberg
Leonard J. Frankel
Seth G. Gausnell
Candice F. Gordon
Elizabeth Gosney
Chicquita Green-Hester
Jennifer L. Hardester
Annette P. Heller
Harlan B. Hodge
Peter J. Hoffman
Jorie Jacobi
Barry Klinckhardt
Kortenhof McGlynn & Burns LLC
Joseph M. Krutzsch
Cullen Kuhn
Anne E. Lageson
Megan Lammert
James LaVictoire
Lawrence Levens
Roxanne Lingua
Kristen L. Maly
Michael Margherio
Hon. David C. Mason
Hon. Peggy McCartney
Charles C. McCloskey
Jacqueline McGurk
Patrick Mickey
Britney Millman
Hon. Lawrence E. Mooney
Marvin J. Nodiff
Elizabeth Odell
Donald L. O’Keefe
Mark Pranaitis
Cheryl Rafert
Joseph E. Rebman
Deborah Richie
Norah J. Ryan
James W. Sherby
Lydia Strickland
Tameallia Teer
William S. Thomas
Daniel G. Tobben
David R. Truman
Teresa H. Venker
Hon. Stephen R. Welby
Kenneth R. Wilks
*Each donation level may include donation amounts higher than the stated level, but which do not reach the next donation level.Also, names of donors include those who contributed to a paver in the name of another person, other people, or an entity.
FREEDOM SUITS MEMORIAL FOUNDATION 