Our community gathered for The Soil Ceremony, the final phase of Manasota Remembers, to honor six lives lost to racial terror in our community:

Henry Thomas
Sam Ellis
Wade Ellis
Mr. Ruddy
William English
James Franklin

Marked by song, spoken word, and the transfer of soil from lynching sites into memorial jars, the ceremony created a space for both reflection and healing. Adding to the cultural significance, Orisirisi African Folklore, the acclaimed performing arts company, brought their powerful storytelling traditions to the gathering. Founded by Don and Tutu Harrell, Orisirisi’s performance wove together African folklore, spirited drumming, and song, connecting present-day remembrance to deeper cultural traditions of memory and healing.

This final ceremony is the culmination of a three-phase initiative that began in 2020. The project’s first phase engaged future generations through a Racial Justice Essay Contest in March 2023, encouraging young voices to grapple with historical truths and their modern implications. The second phase, in February 2024, saw the dedication of a Lynching Memorial Marker, which stands on the ground of the Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota (3975 Fruitville Rd.), creating a permanent testament to those lives lost and ensuring their stories will not be forgotten.

The Soil Ceremony, as the final phase, provided a powerful ritual of remembrance and recognition. The gathering of soil from sites of racial terror violence represents both a confrontation with painful history and a commitment to healing through acknowledgment and truth-telling.

The six memorial jars, each engraved with the name of a victim, will find their permanent home at the Betty J. Johnson Library’s African American Cultural Resource Center. A duplicate jar containing soil from Henry Thomas’s lynching site will be housed at the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama alongside memorial jars from sites across the U.S.

As Manasota Remembers concludes its formal phases, its impact continues to resonate throughout our community. Through education, commemoration, and ritual, this initiative has created new pathways for understanding our shared history and fostering dialogue about racial justice. The project stands as a testament to our community’s commitment to acknowledging painful truths while working together toward a future of greater understanding and reconciliation.

May the memories of those we honored continue to inspire our ongoing work toward justice and healing.

Thank you to our partners

Manasota Remembers was led by the Boxser Diversity Initiative in collaboration with Manasota ASALH, Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, and Newtown Alive, in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative. The project was co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota, which hosted all three events, and provided a permanent home for the Memorial Marker. Funding for Manasota Remembers was made possible by the John J. Clopine Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County as well as many members of the community.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $488 million in more than 1,580 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $40 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $435.8 million to area nonprofit organizations to our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.