From the cover
Sugar Land 95 site plan revealed
The history
What’s being done
were leased out to private businesses that e ec- tively privatized the state prison system. The property FBISD purchased to build the CTE center was part of the Imperial State Prison Farm, which opened in 1909, according to Goshawk Environmental Consulting, the archaeological rm FBISD hired to perform the legally required site evaluation. Some o cials and activists said they believe more deceased prisoners could be buried on former convict labor sites nearby.
According to the Texas State Historical Associ- ation, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution aimed at ending slavery in 1865 included the phrase “except as punishment for a crime,” leading to the creation of the prison convict leasing system to ll the Reconstruction Era’s labor shortage. Many African Americans were arrested, “often convicted of petty crimes, like walking on the grass, vagrancy and stealing food,” according to a 2021 Library of Congress article. The incarcerated
Olainu-Alade announced the completion of the memorial’s design at a Sept. 11 board meeting. The plans represent the result of work by MASS Design Group that began in spring 2022. Plans show the park—which is projected to cost between $4 million and $4.5 million—could take years to construct as it is solely dependent on donations for the construction. MASS Design Group’s design includes the following experiences and themes: • A sacred space for visitors to be with ancestors • Active stewardship • Community experiences and cultural celebrations • Commemorative rituals and memorializations • Attractively landscaped learning environment
Other projects
FBISD announced in July it purchased a prop- erty for a new elementary school near the site of what Jay Jenkins, co-founder of the advocacy nonpro t called the Convict Leasing and Labor Project, and independent journalist Brittney Martin said they believe could contain other convict work camp cemeteries. Martin is the host of a podcast about the discovery of the Sugar Land 95 based on three years of research and reporting. The approximately 16 acres is located in Harvest Green, a 2,000-acre master-planned community. Construction is set to begin in mid-2024, and the school is estimated to open August 2026. Like all public entities that purchase land once owned by the state prisons system, FBISD is required by state law to work closely with the state to ensure no cultural artifacts are found, Jones said. If artifacts are found, the district must cease building projects until the Texas Historical Commission determines it has met every e ort to protect the historical elements.
Approximate location of convict labor site
Future elementary school
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This rendering shows the design plan for the site where the Sugar Land 95 are buried.
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