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A Southern Chain Gang
Detroit Publishing Company photograph collection, Library of Congress
Black Orphans in the Convict Lease System
Library of Congress
A candlelight vigil was held in honor of Juneteenth and the Sugar Land 95 at Mayfield Park on June 1
A Southern Chain Gang
Detroit Publishing Company photograph collection, Library of Congress
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WHO ARE THE
SUGAR LAND 95?
The first bone was found in February 2018, by a backhoe operator clawing through the dirt on land owned by the Fort Bend Independent School District. By the summer, the remains of 94 men and one woman, all African-American victims of convict leasing, had been recovered on the future site of a career and technical education center. Ranging in age from 14 to 70, the inmates had muscular builds but were malnourished, their bones misshapen from back-breaking, repetitive labor. They were buried in plain pine boxes sometime between 1878 and 1911. CLLP has been at the forefront of the fight to preserve the Sugar Land 95's burial ground and ensure they are properly memorialized.
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All Black Cemeteries Matter: Tell The Truth of the Sugar Land 95
On February 3rd, the Texas Historical Commission will announce which Texas cemeteries will receive an Undertold Stories Marker. Last year, the Sugar Land 95 Burial Site was nominated for an Undertold Stories Marker from the Texas Historical Commission. If chosen, the burial ground would receive recognition as the Bullhead Convict Labor Camp Cemetery.
On February 1st, 2022, we launched a petition. You can’t honor what’s not true. The Sugar Land 95 did not die at Bullhead. The Sugar Land 95 were killed by forced labor at an Ellis Camp.
Lots of people have no idea this is happening in their own backyard. Tell your friends, neighbors, community groups and churches. Let them know you support CLLP and its efforts to properly memorialize the Sugar Land 95. Get in touch with CLLP to learn more about our work and how you can get involved. We are seeking volunteers in all fronts!
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SHARE YOUR
STORIES WITH US
Did you grow up hearing stories of convict leasing in Texas? Do you know or suspect that someone you know to be victims of convict leasing in the Sugar Land area? Share your stories with us. We are searching for the descendants of the Sugar Land 95.
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