Fort Bend County officials plan to break ground this summer on an African-American monument that pays homage to a little-known history.
2 minutes of impact
The Fort Bend County African American Memorial, located at Bates Allen Park in Kendleton, is intended to acknowledge past injustices, restore human dignity and honor the contributions of African Americans to the county, according to Fort Bend County Precinct 4 project documents.
“The contributions of African Americans in this region were just the foundation, the foundation. But telling these stories and telling this history is important to how we preserve the stories of so many other peoples,” said Fourth Precinct Chief Dexter McCoy.
The Future Monument was inspired by the discovery in 2018 of the bodies of 95 people believed to have participated in Texas’ inmate labor and leasing program at a Fort Bend ISD construction site. These people, known as the “Sugar Land 95,” are remembered through a monument and educational facility at the site, now the James Reese Career and Technical Education Center.
detail
McCoy said the memorial project includes two axes, one pointing to Africa and the other pointing to Sugar Land, where Sugar Land 95 was discovered. Phase 1 also includes:
Juneteenth Freedom Plaza Impressive three-story monument dedicated to African American giants of history Fragmented walkway Fragmented Walkway Monument to convict labor and wreaths with 95 trees to represent Sugar Land “The architects have done a really great job in bringing out elements of the scattered parts of the African diaspora, the people who came out of Africa and were scattered around the world,” McCoy said. “All those pieces came together in Fort Bend County to create a beautiful mosaic.”
More than $10 million in funding for the project was approved by voters in the 2020 and 2023 Fort Bend County Parks Bonds, McCoy said. In addition to the monument, the funding will also support public works extensions.
dig into
McCoy said the memorial will be erected in the small town of Kendleton, west of Rosenberg, one of the area’s original freedmen towns founded by six freedmen families. Bates Allen Park is home to two historic freedmen’s burial grounds and the final resting place of various African American leaders, including Benjamin Franklin Williams, the first black Texas congressman.
“Going to that location does not reflect the stature of those people or the impact they had on our community and county,” McCoy said. “So what we’re doing is restoring their dignity, honoring them and celebrating the contributions that they and so many other African Americans in Fort Bend County have made to our region and our state.”
what they are saying
McCoy, who grew up in Fort Bend County, said he, like many others in the area, was unaware of the area’s rich African-American history and only learned about it much later.
“As a young black kid, I knew very little about the history of the people in my backyard,” he said. “I didn’t realize how much people who look like me were contributing. … Given that we’re not telling stories like this, rich stories about our history, what does that mean for kids like me in this community? And also about how I see myself in relation to the community and how proud I am to be a part of this community.”
I’m looking forward to it
The groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase was scheduled to take place on June 19, but was postponed due to weather. However, the exact rescheduling date has not been determined. The first phase of the African American monument is expected to open to the public in late 2025, McCoy said.
The monument will also include future phases, including a Lynch reflecting pond. In addition to the memorial, the park also has plans for later stages, including the addition of a learning center.
