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To
honor those who fought so bravely for our freedom…
The
29th Monument Fund was borne out of the idea that
men of color – African Americans and Native
Americans - should be honored and recognized for their
contributions to the fight for freedom during the
Civil War. Men whose contributions have previously
gone unnoticed.
The
Descendants of the Connecticut 29th Colored Regiment
C.V. Infantry, Inc. was organized in 1999 and is made
up of descendants, and friends. We chose, as one of
our goals, the task of erecting a monument that would
reflect our thanks and appreciation for the efforts
of the 1005 soldiers who represented 118 towns in
the State of Connecticut.
Much
has happened in the last year towards making this
goal a reality. Famed sculptor/artist Edward
Hamilton has been retained to design and produce
the monument. Hamilton is recognized nationally for
his evocative public sculptures, including The Amistad
Memorial in New Haven, Connecticut; the Spirit of
Freedom monument in Washington D.C., the York Monument
in Louisville, Kentucky honoring the slave, York;
the Joe Lewis Memorial in Detroit; and the Booker
T. Washington Memorial at Hampton University in Virginia.
Ed’s
plan for the monument includes an eight-foot tall
obelisk that will be surrounded by eight complimentary
stones, which will bear the names of all soldiers
who fought for the regiment, in alphabetical order.
The
installation and commemoration ceremony is tentatively
planned for May of 2006. And plans are in the works
to make the event open to all who wish to share in
the parade, and festivities leading up to the unveiling
of the monument.
We
are aggressively fundraising to cover the costs of
the monument and for the commemoration ceremony. To
date, many private and corporate donations have begun
to come in, and we are thankful to those who are participating
in the realization our dream.
To
see more of Edward Hamilton's work, visit his site
at www.edhamiltonworks.com.
Contributions
can be mailed to:
Harrison
Mero
President
91 Burke Street
Hamden, CT 06514
203-776-0571
