ST. LOUIS – The names listed are unsettling to read.
“Samuel Slaughter, A Negro”
“Lorinda, A Free Girl of Color”
“James, A Person of Color”
But those descriptors were the exact ones used to describe the plaintiffs who sued for their freedom in the years leading up to the Civil War. They’re among the more than 300 courageous men, women, and children who filed what’s known as Freedom Suits.
Since it was unveiled in June 2022, The Freedom Suits Memorial in downtown St. Louis has drawn thousands of visitors, in person and online. The idea was years in the making for St. Louis Circuit Court Judge David Mason, the founder of The Freedom Suits Memorial.
Mason and Attorney Paul Venker, President of The Freedom Suits Memorial Foundation, joined Fox 2’s Jasmine Huda to talk about the response to the memorial and foundation’s’ larger mission to encourage discussion about slavery and race relations in the United States.
