Church gets nearly $1M grant to honor people sold at former slave market
A church in Tennessee has secured a $996,000 grant to build a memorial in remembrance of enslaved people at the site of a former slave market near their sanctuary.
Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis recently secured a two-year grant from The Mellon Foundation for the purpose of helping to fund the church’s The Legacy of 87 Adams project.
87 Adams Street was the location of a former slave market in Downtown Memphis, with research indicating that approximately 3,800 enslaved individuals were sold at the site.
The project traces its origins to earlier efforts to the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis, which found a misleading 1955 Tennessee Historical Commission marker at 87 Adams regarding Confederate commander Nathan Bedford Forrest.
The 1955 marker said that Forrest’s “business enterprises made him wealthy” without acknowledging that his business efforts at the site were centered on slave trading.
“In 2018, members of our coalition collaborated to erect a new marker at this site, unearthing this history and holding a memorial service to remember the lives of those sold here,” states the project's website.
“We began the process of envisioning a lasting monument that aimed at revealing the full story, correcting historical inaccuracies, and fostering a space of reflection, learning, and dialogue.”
The church seeks to create “a future memorial and accompanying archive" to chronicle the stories of people sold at the location and those who purchased them.
The Christian Post reached out to Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, but a church spokesperson declined to comment.
The Rev. Scott Walters, rector of Calvary Episcopal, said in a statement that he is “thrilled” by the grant and hopes the memorial will greatly benefit the local community.
“I am thrilled at the news that Calvary and our dedicated team of community partners will be able to build on the work we’ve done over the past nine years,” stated Walters, according to Episcopal News Service.
“We want the history of 87 Adams to be treated truthfully, in ways that foster healing and change in Memphis for decades to come.”
A group of community members will oversee the process to select a memorial design, forge ties with local artists, and create community programming, reports ENS.
