Our mission is to construct a memorial in Washington, D.C.to thousands of enslaved and free black persons who fought in the Revolutionary War to bind the destiny of future generations to the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

This includes tens of thousands of largely unnamed men, women and children who provided civilian assistance or acted as if the declaration were marching orders to run away from tyranny and petition courts and legislatures for liberty.

The National Liberty Memorial will honor —

• between 5,000 and 10,000 enslaved Americans and free persons of African descent, who volunteered to serve as soldiers and sailors during the American Revolution;
• slaves and free persons who rendered civilian assistance in the cause of Independence;
• tens of thousands of slaves who ran away to freedom; and
• men, women, and children who petitioned state courts and legislatures for liberty.

Through interaction with its surroundings, the site and design of the National Liberty Memorial will fortify American history and reveal how persons without rights and in the most desperate of circumstances  —

• served honorably under General George Washington, and beside their compatriots of every background, in military and civilian roles,
• struggled to win freedom and equality decades before Lincoln’s birth and the Emancipation Proclamation,
• aspired  to make  the  ideals of the Declaration of Independence a part of the Constitution and a reality for all citizens,
• fought and died in all wars, from the Revolution to the present (including the Civil War), and
• prevailed in their vision for America.