Poughkeepsie’s Forgotten History to Be Memorialized With Large Statue

A nine-foot-tall marker is set to be unveiled at Poughkeepsie's waterfront to remind residents of the city's forgotten past.

Mayor Yvonne Flowers announced that a ceremony will take place next week to dedicate a new memorial marker intended to serve as a way to educate others about a lost piece of Poughkeepsie's history.

Poughkeepsie, New York's Hidden Past

Celebrating the African Spirit is a group that has dedicated itself to educating others about the City of Poughkeepsie's history of slavery. Many people still believe that slavery was something that just took place in the South, but in fact, enslaved adults and children contributed to the foundation of the City of Poughkeepsie.

To remind us of the tragic history of slavery in Poughkeepsie, Celebrating the African Spirit has created a marker that will stand near the river to tell the stories of the men, women and children whose stories have been forgotten. Carmen McGill, the organization's co-founder, says it's vitally important to the stories of the area's forgotten enslaved people that "have been absent from our history and discourse.”

New Marker Erected in Poughkeepsie, New York

A sculpture designed by a Poughkeepsie High School graduate will be permanently on display just south of the Walkway Over the Hudson. The nine-foot-tall Marker has a pyramid-shaped steel body that is topped with a crown that depicts a Sankofa bird, symbolizing the importance of "learning from the past to inform the future".

The marker is decorated with illustrations of enslaved people working to build structures, plant crops and carry cargo. There is also a design that resembles a winding river, where many enslaved people worked to establish trade and commerce throughout the region. The story of African-Americans living in Poughkeepsie ends with the image of a modern family walking towards the future.

Marker Unveiling Scheduled in Poughkeepsie, New York

City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers and Celebrating the African Spirit will dedicate the memorial marker at a reception and ceremony on June 19, which is also Juneteenth. Organizers thought it was important to hold the dedication on the same day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

A reception by CAS will be held starting at 5:30pm at the Mid-Hudson Discovery Center Pavilion before the dedication at 6:30pm in Waryas Park.