June 30, 2025
Jones supports the motion for a formal opening ceremony saying “our ancestors deserve to be seen and acknowledged.”
Some of Florida’s Black lawmakers are shocked that the “Circle of Chains” memorial — capturing the tragedy of slavery in the Sunshine State — has been placed outside of the state’s Capitol building, seven years after its initial approval, Florida Phoenix reports.
The Legislature first approved the memorial back in 2018 during a legislative session with legislation sponsored by Democratic leaders Kionne McGhee and Sen. Darryl Rouson. The bill put the Department of Management Services in charge of its design, placement, and cost but current leaders were unaware that the project was completed. Miami-Dade County Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt said she had “no idea,” while Miami-Dade County Sen. Shevrin Jones shared similar sentiments but is excited about it. “I had no idea the memorial had even been installed – and that says a lot,” Jones said.
“A monument honoring the pain and resilience of enslaved Africans deserves more than a quiet placement. After seven years of work, there should have been a moment to honor that history publicly.”
Installed Apr. 28, the sculpture’s new home is located at the Black Archives-Union Bank Museum on Apalachee Parkway, as $400,000 was dedicated to curate the artwork to commemorate “the brutality of slavery and the cruelty of slavery and then to honor the nameless faces of individuals that suffer through slavery.” Similar artwork was created to recognize victims of the Holocaust. The installation of the piece was at the Capitol in early 2025 with a public ceremony that Gov. Ron DeSantis attended.
The Department of Management Services selected Carmel, California, sculptor Steven Whyte to curate the concrete memorial. He stated that the memorial is “rough, stained and defiantly unpolished” on purpose to showcase the “searing testament to pain, endurance and the impossible weight of memory.” He calls “Circle of Chains” his “resonant work yet,” as the sculpture “captures something rare – history that breathes, laments, and reaches forward all at once,” he wrote on Instagram.
Now that security cameras have been properly installed, Rouson looks forward to having an official installation ceremony, supported by Democratic Senate Leader Lori Berman, who was also unaware the piece was open to the public. “I wholeheartedly support Sen. Rouson’s efforts for a formal opening ceremony this fall — the enslaved men, women, and children who built this country deserve to have their experience remembered and their legacy honored,” she said.
Jones also supports the motion for a formal opening ceremony, saying, “Our ancestors deserve to be seen and acknowledged.”
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