Bench By The Road Project
Photo: Hilary Solan
The Bench by the Road Project is a memorial history and community outreach initiative of the Toni Morrison Society. The Project was launched on February 18, 2006, on the occasion of Toni Morrison's 75th Birthday. The name "Bench by the Road" is taken from Morrison's remarks in a 1989 interview with World Magazine where she spoke of the absences of historical markers that help remember the lives of Africans who were enslaved and of how her fifth novel, Beloved, served this symbolic role:
"There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves . . . There is no suitable memorial, or plaque, or wreath, or wall, or park, or skyscraper lobby. There's no 300-foot tower, there's no small bench by the road. There is not even a tree scored, an initial that I can visit or you can visit in Charleston or Savannah or New York or Providence or better still on the banks of the Mississippi. And because such a place doesn't exist . . . the book had to" (The World, 1989).
Because the Toni Morrison Society wanted to be a place where scholars and readers could, through their engagement with Morrison’s novels, remember not only slavery but also many of the forgotten moments in African American history, the Society chose, when it was founded in 1993, “A Bench by the Road” as its motto. The Bench by the Road Project extends the Society’s mission. While there have been several notable African American history and slavery museums built since 1989, as well as a number of outstanding state and federal initiatives honoring the stories of the African American past, the goal of the Bench by the Road Project is to address the lament that Toni Morrison expressed in her interview by placing Benches and plaques at sites commemorating significant moments, individuals, and locations within the history of the African Diaspora. Since 2006, the Toni Morrison Society has placed 20 Benches at sites, including Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina; Walden Woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts; The 20th Arrondissement in Paris, France; Fort-de-France, Martinique; and, most recently, the Schomburg Center in Harlem, New York.
Bench Description:
The Bench is a black steel memorial bench that measures 26 inches deep and 72 (6ft) inches long. The seat is made from ribbed steel, and the arms are 12 gauge 1-1/2" galvanized steel tubing. The bench can be mounted or moveable. The bench has a plastisol coated seat and powder coated frame in order to provide an excellent weather resistant finished. The bench has a bronze 6x9 inch naming plate mounted in the center of the back of the Bench. The plate will have the name of the site, the name of the sponsoring organization, and the date of the placement on the front of the plate. The Bench also comes with a bronze description plaque of approximately 12X18 inches. This plaque will be mounted in a cement foundation on the ground next to the bench and will include a general description of the Project and a more specific statement of not more than 35 words describing the Bench's significance.
Criteria for Placement
The Bench Project commemorates a significant moment in the history of the African Diaspora that happened at least 50 years ago.
The Bench Project is a memorial history initiative and is not placed for individuals who are still alive.
All Benches now available are 6ft wide at a cost of $7,500 each.
The cost of the Bench includes the steel bench, a 9x4 naming plaque, a 20x18 description plaque, and shipping fees.
Costs
6ft Steel Bench in black includes the bronze naming and description plaques, shipping, and delivery. The sponsoring organization can specify mounted or un-mounted design. Mounting of the bench and the placement of the naming and description plaques is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization. 6ft bench seats four. Total cost $7,500.
Submit Your Bench by the Road Application to:
Bench by the Road Project
Toni Morrison Society
P.O. Box 54346
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Complete Bench Application Here
For More Information:
By Phone: Carolyn Denard 404-408-7964
By E-mail: tonimorrisonsociety@gmail.com
