'Boundless': New sculpture in North Carolina honors Black
soldiers who helped win the Civil War

[link removed]

Liz Vinson, SPLC Staff Writer | Read the full piece here

[link removed]

Friend,

On the grounds of a museum in North Carolina is the site of a fierce
battle in the waning months of the Civil War, where 1,600 Black
soldiers in the Union Army staged a frontal assault on entrenchments
protecting the Confederacy's last remaining open seaport, a
critical link in the supply line that kept the war alive.

Until recently, there were no markers to honor the valor of the Black
troops who took heavy losses in the Battle of Forks Road

[link removed]

and paved the way for the fall of Fort Fisher
[link removed]

in Wilmington and the end of the war two months later.

But now, as the nation continues to fight against systemic racism, and
the movement to remove Confederate iconography gains momentum, these
Black Union soldiers and the pivotal battle they fought are being
recognized.

To honor the United States Colored Troops (USCT)

[link removed]

soldiers who fought in the Battle of Forks Road - 80% of whom
had been previously enslaved - artist Stephen Hayes
[link removed]

created "Boundless," a sculpture that was unveiled last
month on the grounds of what is now the Cameron Art Museum
[link removed]

, where the battle was fought over several days in February 1865.

If not for the discovery of the site in 1980 and the investigation
that followed, the critical role the Black soldiers played in the
assault that helped end the Civil War might have been lost to history.
But now, their gallantry is memorialized in Hayes' work.

"It's unfortunate that the contributions of the
'Colored Troops' who courageously served a country that
devalued them routinely go unnoticed in American history," said
Lecia Brooks, chief of staff for the Southern Poverty Law Center,
which works in partnership with communities across the South and
beyond to dismantle white supremacy and advance human rights.
"These truths of Black heroism are?conveniently excluded
from American history books. But Mr. Hayes'
'Boundless' sculpture rights that wrong. While his piece
focuses on Wilmington's Battle of Forks Road, it also imparts
stories of untold Black regiments that led Union advances during the
Civil War, understanding that their survival was unlikely."

Hayes, an assistant professor of art, art history and visual studies
at Duke University, spent two years creating the life-size bronze
sculpture, made in part from the casts of Black men whose ancestors
are tied to the battle site and its story. Hayes told the SPLC he
hopes the sculpture will help people understand the bravery exhibited
by Black Union soldiers and the connection of Black history to
Wilmington's future.

"It's not a sculpture of being worn or beaten down,"
Hayes, 38, said. "It's a message of pride, a sense of
honor that I hope moves people to think about the past, present and
future."

Heather Wilson, the museum's deputy director, commissioned Hayes
to create the 2,500-pound sculpture.

"We knew from the beginning that we wanted this work depicting
the USCT to be figurative," said Wilson. "Stephen's
work, which navigates the narrative of agency and Black bodies in
America, captivated our imaginations. We reached out to Stephen in
early 2019 after looking at his work and talking with other museums
across the state. It has been an honor to work with Stephen and to
watch him grow over these past two years."

READ MORE

[link removed]

In solidarity,

Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center

The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond,
working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.

Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for
justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?

DONATE

[link removed]



--
Unsubscribe [link removed] | Privacy Policy [link removed] | Contact Us [link removed]

Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
334.956.8200 // splcenter.org
[link removed]
Copyright 2021