The Elizabeth Raymond Ambler Trust is helping the Wilton Historical Society explore what might turn out to be a painful part of history. The Trust awarded the $5,500 grant to research Black history in Wilton.
Officials at the Historical Society submitted a grant request that explained why it’s important to dig deeper into this area of research:
“In this year of reckoning over the country’s legacy of slavery and racial inequality, it is evident that in many places, local stories about those iniquities have not been fully explored, or perhaps have been swept under the rug. In any number of states and towns, Wilton included, there is still much to be learned from the documents and artifacts that provide proof and evidence of some painful episodes in our local past. Facts are needed to ground discussion and to make more information available to the public.”
“We are extremely grateful to the Elizabeth Raymond Ambler Trust for their continued support,” said Allison Sanders, co-director of the Wilton Historical Society. “The research produced during this project will support re-interpretation of artifacts, support school programs and contribute to scholarship on this topic.”
Research findings will be available through a written narrative, a lecture, a video — all available to the public. The research will be undertaken by historian Dr. Julie Hughes, college professor and an archivist at the Wilton History Room at Wilton Library.
The Wilton Historical Society’s mission is “To shine a light on the making and meaning of history through Wilton’s stories and historic preservation.”