Category Archives: Reconciliation

Commemoration, Reconciliation

Celebrating the Life of John Lebourgeois

In July 2024, we celebrated the life of a dear friend and family member, John LeBourgeois, the great-great-grandson of Charlotte Blow, daughter of Dred Scott’s original owners (Peter and Elizabeth Blow) who left this world on April 11, 2024. He was a member of Dred Scott Presents:  Sons and Daughters of Reconciliation and a staunch and devoted supporter of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation along with many of his family members. 

John and his wife Mimi, one daughter Anne and a nephew, Ashton, met Lynne Jackson in Southampton, VA at the dedication of the Dred Scott Blow Family Highway marker installed by another Blow descendant, Jeffrey Hines.  Because of Facebook, total strangers met whose lives were entwined. The other daughter, Louise, has participated in three major Dred Scott programs in Marshfield, Missouri, St. Louis, and at Calvary Cemetery.

The LeBourgeois family has been as dear to us today as their ancestors were to Dred Scott, helping him and Harriet in their eleven-year battle for freedom.  Today the family is engaged in helping us promote the principals and necessities as well as the joys of reconciliation.  I spoke at the memorial which was held in John’s favorite spot, Promontory Point Field House on Lakeshore Drive in Chicago, Illinois. John was a man of many disciplines and everyone who attended thought we knew him, until we heard the warm and hilarious stories about his life and career at the memorial.   I found out John was an artist. The caricature portrait of John was drawn by Tom Bachtell.

John’s family graciously invited donations to be sent to the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation and The Whitney Plantation. Rest in peace dear John and thank you for representing what God’s humanity to man can look like.  We will always remember and love you!

Lynne

Announcement, Commemoration, Education, Reconciliation

New Marker for Harriet Scott

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Harriet Robins Scott is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Louis.  For many years, her location was not known.  Mrs. Etta Daniels had the records and a few people knew but it was not revealed publicly until 2006 when Mrs. Ruth Ann Hager, a certified genealogist was doing research on Harriet and through several attempts concluding with a phone call to Lynne Jackson, she was able to narrow down the many Harriet’s to one, our Harriet at Greenwood.  This happened to occur in 2006, a year prior to the 150th anniversary of the Dred Scott Decision in 2007. As Lynne likes to say, “She wasn’t going to miss out  on the party!”

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Harriet Scott Memorial Dedication Gallery

Announcement, Commemoration, Education, Reconciliation

New Monument Celebrating the legacy of Dred Scott

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Lynne Madison Jackson, President and Founder DSHF
Lynda Burgman, Grant Writer and avid supporter

On September 30, 2023  Dred Scott received a new memorial monument.  

It was for the occasion of the 165th anniversary of his death which was September 17, 1858.  As it turns out, that became Constitution Day!

The new monument replaces the wonderful headstone which has been there since 1957 and was donated by Mrs. Harrison of Pennsylvania, a descendant of Scott’s original owners Peter and Elizabeth Blow.

To share his legacy and impact on our nation, his great-great granddaughter, Lynne Madison Jackson and her Dred Scott Heritage Foundation, provided a new monument with the aspects of the Foundation’s goals of Commemoration, Education and Reconciliation noticeably visible.  The new memorial is in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, MO where Scott is among the top most asked for gravesites in the cemetery of over 300,000 persons.

Dred Scott Descendents
Pastor Rafael Green, Louise LeBourgeois, Brenda Young, Dawn Eden Goldstein,
Treasure Shields Redmond, Lynne Madison Jackson, Dred Scott Madison II,
Peggy Lewis LeCompte, Dr. David Konig, Dr. Kimberly Norwood
Dred Scott Board of Directors
donate

Dred Scott Memorial Monument
Dedication Gallery 1
September 30, 2023

Dred Scott Memorial Monument
Dedication Gallery 2
September 30, 2023

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Announcement, Education, Event, Reconciliation

NO TEARS PROJECT

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This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Click on the image below to register!

You can watch the panel discussion here:
No Tears Project St. Louis: Recognition Before Reconciliation Panel Discussion

Who is Sam Blow?
An original poem by Treasure Shields Redmond

Here is a most beautiful poem penned by Ms. Treasure Redmond Shields about Dred Scott as seen through the eye of his wife Harriet.  I am greatly appreciative of the sincerity and gentleness with which she describes who the composite man was.  Bravo, Treasure. 
And Thank You!
Lynne M. Jackson

PHOTO GALLERY

Announcement, Collaborate, Commemoration, Education, Event, Reconciliation

MUSIC LEGENDS FROM THE VILLE HONORED AT HISTORY MUSEUM

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ALLEDA WARD WELLS
KENNETH BROWN BILLUPS
With the support of the Steinway Music Gallery in Maryland Heights

HONORING MUSIC LEGENDS
ALLEDA WARD WELLS AND KENNETH BROWN BILLUPS
FEATURING FORMER STUDENTS AND THE LEGEND SINGERS SUMNER HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH

HAPPY HOUR FROM 5 PM TO 6:30 PM IN THE GRAND HALL MUSIC CELEBRATION FROM 6:30 PM – 8 PM IN THE AUDITORIUM

Mrs. Wells taught hundreds of young people how to play classical music in her home on Goode Ave in the Ville neighborhood in St. Louis from approximately 1945-1995, over 50 years. 

She had outstanding talent and was trained by the best!

Her mother, Mrs.Ward, saw to it that she had the best and therefore she GAVE the best.

On December 1, 2022, she was honored by her former students at the Missouri History Museum along with another Ville legend, Mr. Kenneth Brown Billups. Between the two of them, there was no lack of musical excellence in the African American neighborhood, the VILLE.

Mrs. Wells was well known for her bi-annual 8 Piano Festivals where as many as 16 people were playing such beautiful renditions of Ferrante and Tiecher’s Tonight and Exodus among many other beautiful melodies. Sleigh Ride was a favorite and must have composers such as a Bach two-part invention, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Mozart were annual requirements for students in the National Piano Guild Competition.

I (Lynne) do not neglect to put my time with her on my professional resumes.  Asked once if I really needed it, I said emphatically,”Yes!”  Never would I diminish the importance of the privilege to have been one of her students or would she be diminished by being omitted.  The Alleda Ward Wells Studio was the Juilliard in the Ville!!!!

She was a woman of faith, beauty, confidence, excellence and love.  We all loved her.  She gave her best and we gave ours back to her!

Announcement, Commemoration, Education, Event, Reconciliation

Dred Scott Reconciliation Conference 2022

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Matt Lockett and Will Ford III

Join us for a storytelling time of how Sons and Daughters of enslaved and slavers have met in this day and age around unexpected and unplanned circumstances to be the people of this generation to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of their ancestors. Lunch will be provided.

Saturday, October 29, 2022
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Click on the link below to register or RSVP.

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Register Now!

We look forward to seeing you at
The Dred Scott Reconciliation Conference 2022.

First Baptist Church of Ferguson
333 N Florissant
Ferguson, MO 63135

Sponsored By:

Commemoration, Education, Event, Reconciliation

Conversations with Kenyatta

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This week on Conversations with Kenyatta, Kenyatta D. Berry,  author of The Family Tree Toolkit, and host of PBS’ Genealogy Roadshow is joined by Lynne Jackson, President, and Founder of The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation, and descendant of Dred Scott.

Announcement, Commemoration, Education, Event, Reconciliation
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This exhibit will be open on the following dates:

Saturday, Sept. 1012:00 Noon – 4:00 p.m.
Monday,  Sept. 121:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 14 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 18 12:00 Noon – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 2211:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 281:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 304:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Request for special times can be made for groups of 10 or more.