Recognizing Enslaved Africans of Larchmont-Mamaroneck (REALM) is a group of local residents who became aware of our community’s foundational ties to the institution of slavery. Our mission is to honor the history, humanity and contributions of the enslaved people whose involuntary labor helped build our community. With the support of the Mamaroneck Town Board, REALM installed a memorial to the enslaved Africans on the hill in front of the Mamaroneck Town Center.
MAMARONECK TOWN’S FOUNDATIONAL TIES TO SLAVERY
More than 200 men, women and children were enslaved in Mamaroneck Town between 1661 and 1822. The List of Enslavers and Enslaved, compiled by John Jay College Professor Ned Benton, a REALM member, summarizes what is known about local enslavement. Additional information comes from the Northeast Slavery Records Index.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ENSLAVEMENT IN MAMARONECK
Almost all the enslavers are named in official documents during their lifetimes and, years later, their family names dot our streetscape. For the enslaved persons who helped build our town, there are almost no full names nor tributes recorded in the past or appreciated now.
This is the condition REALM aimed to rectify via the memorial and related educational efforts.
Other Westchester communities are pursuing similar goals. For example, in 2022, Yonkers inaugurated its Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden. The same year, the Recognizing Enslaved Africans Committee in Irvington installed its memorial. The Mamaroneck memorial honors the people enslaved locally and helps our residents gain a more accurate and meaningful understanding of slavery in America.
REALM’S GOALS AT THE OUTSET
- Recognize the Enslaved Individuals: The aim of our group is to recognize for today and for the future that slavery existed here. We affirm that slavery was wrong and that the individuals so wronged matter to us today and into the future.
- Engage the Community in Creating a Memorial to Recognize the Enslaved People: Our goal is to develop a permanent, physical memorial in a prominent location, central to all of the Town of Mamaroneck, Village of Mamaroneck and Village of Larchmont. In developing designs for the memorial and raising funds for its implementation, we aim to engage members of our local civic, cultural, educational and faith groups, as well as members of the community at large.
- Develop and Implement Plans for Educational Programs in Conjunction with the Memorial: To further the educational function of the memorial, and to ensure that its meaning is not lost in the future, we aim to develop ongoing, regular, related educational programs for students and the larger community.
- Raise Funds for Our Ongoing Efforts: We will continue reaching out to organizations and individuals to support REALM’s goals. To participate, DONATE here.
Current Members of REALM (established 2018)
As of 2024: Sid Albert, Ned Benton, Gail Boyle, Lynne Crowley, Judith Doolin Spikes, Jackie Lorieo, Jill Parry, John Pritts, Robinette Robinson, Joanne Shaw, Judy Silberstein, Leilani Yizar.
Additional Founding Members: Phyllis Kaskel, Sharon Latimer-Mosley, Keith Yizar