OUR MISSION.
The Solomon Northup Committee for Commemorative Works has established a goal to be embodied in its public commemorative works
of art:
“Each work shall perpetuate the memory of significant elements of American slave history in a permanent manner.”
In doing so, we believe that these artistic memorials represent the continuing efforts to engage injustices through alternative lenses, and can transform communities across America through conversation and self-expression, thereby reflecting a more truthful past in the present.
THE VISION.
Our vision with the creation of this monument to Solomon Northup is twofold:
· To honor a native New Yorker’s life and work – who was wrongfully enslaved as a free citizen in Red River region of Louisiana,
rescued and authored the written work, Twelve Years A Slave.
· To create a community gathering space in which to honor our shared past, uplift our diverse histories,
and inspire new generations of trailblazers toward equality and justice for all.
DREAM IT.
It Began With an Idea
In 2017, Rev. Theus met artist Wesley Wofford who had been commissioned by his church to sculpt a bas-relief of him to mark his retirement as founder and leader of The Summer Chapel in Cashiers, North Carolina. Several years later, in 2022, Rev. Theus visited Wesley’s studio in Cashiers as he was engaged in a commissioned work of one of Northup’s contemporaries Harriet Tubman. During his visit, Rev. Theus remarked to Wesley, ‘there is a story as powerful as hers – that of Solomon Northup’. He paused and asked Wesley if he would be interested in creating a work of art that would tell Solomon’s story, and without awaiting a response he left Wesley’s studio. And the rest is history.
FOUND IT.
Build the Dream Team
The Solomon Northup Committee for Commemorative Works was founded in the summer of 2022 by Reverend James Theus. The team is a cross-section of the people of communities in Central Louisiana as well as in Solomon’s native New York.
PLAN IT.
Design the Inaugural Monument
The committee began working with award-winning sculptor Wesley Wofford in the fall of 2022 on the concept for the monument.
BUILD IT.
They Will Come
It is our hope that ‘Hope Out of Darkness’, the inaugural monument of Solomon Northup, placed at the site of his regained freedom in Avoyelles Courthouse Square will shine a light on the tragedy of slavery in the United States and abroad, and the importance of uplifting the stories of the survivors, and lends a voice to the many thousands who remain silent.