Toni Morrison Society to Place 36th Bench by the Road in Austin, Texas
On June 21st the Toni Morrison Society, in collaboration with the Neill-Cochran House Museum in Austin, Texas will place its 36th Bench by the Road. This Bench will honor the architectural ingenuity of those who were enslaved in Austin by recognizing the last dwelling that they built –now the home of the Neill-Cochran House Museum. We will also honor the adjacent community of Wheatville that freedmen built after the Civil War and where Black communities thrived into the late 19th century. The Bench Placement Ceremony will be the culminating event of a day-long Juneteenth Celebration on the grounds of the Neill-Cochran Museum that will include music, food, and remarks from City and Museum officials. The Toni Morrison Society congratulates the Neill-Cochran House Museum for placing this Bench by the Road to acknowledge the skill and endurance of the enslaved and freed men and women of Austin, Texas and their descendants.
