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Hundreds gather for the Freedom Suits Memorial unveiling ceremony

Local leaders spoke in front of hundreds to honor the enslaved plaintiffs who sued for their freedom at the Old Courthouse in the 1800s.

ST. LOUIS — A good ending to the Juneteenth weekend commemorated Black history in St. Louis.

On the new Freedom Suits Memorial, you can see the names of hundreds of enslaved plaintiffs who sued for their freedom.

"10 years ago, on June the 8th where were you?" Lynn Jackson, a descendant of Dred and Harriet Scott said.

Jackson shared her family's historic ties to St. Louis as a descendant of Dred and Harriet Scott.

"We were at the Old Courthouse unveiling the Dred and Harriet Scott statue which still, 10 years later remains the first and only statue of them in the world," Jackson said.

She joined Judge David Mason, Mayor Tishaura Jones and prominent local leaders at the Civil Courts Monday evening to unveil the Freedom Suits Memorial.

"From the Freedom Suits to the Black Lives Matter movement, we have rightfully earned our place at the table along with Selma, Birmingham and Atlanta," Jones said.

Preston Jackson created the sculpture. The names of the enslaved plaintiffs who sued for their freedom in the 1800s are engraved on its base.

"This stunning monument stands as a testament to fairness and how our courts served as a gateway to freedom for slaves," Jones said.

"I'm almost 80 years old and I wanted to be a part of this, and I am so glad I came. It was beautiful," Judith Pruitt said.

Pruitt was one of the hundreds in the crowd for the unveiling ceremony.

"I was in tears when I saw the interviews on television, there was no way that I was not going to get here to do this. This was something that was going to be in my heart forever," Pruitt said.

Other St. Louisans shared mutual feelings of what this piece of history means to them.

"This statue and the message and the brave people whose names are going to surround it as I understand, are that's a story that needs to be told," Weston Meuth said.

"Hopefully people within the City, people outside the city come check out this monument. It's history," Blaine said.

"Myself, I got a lot to be thankful for. They paved the groundwork for us," Old School E said.

St. Louis Circuit Judge David Mason found the files of the Freedom Suits back in the 1990s in the basement of his workplace.

His decades of research and hard work to honor the many slaves, witnesses, lawyers and judges finally came to fruition.

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