A Witness to History

Text by Barry Webber
Photo by Torey Fisher

A perfect spring day, with just enough bite to remind us that the season had just burst forth in Norfolk, set the stage for a large (in Covid-19 times) gathering to honor a Norfolk son. Students from the Salisbury School and their history teacher Rhonan Mokriski had spent the semester studying slavery in Connecticut and were captivated by the James Mars story. Mars was the last known enslaved person in Norfolk who, after attaining his freedom, documented his experience in an autobiography and became a noted civil rights activist and abolitionist pioneer.  

The students’ study culminated by honoring Mars through the Witness Stone Project, which aims to pay tribute to “the humanity and contributions of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities.” On May 1, a marker was installed at the Church of Christ, Congregational UCC of Norfolk, where Mars became a member of the congregation in 1815. Governor Ned Lamont signed a proclamation, read by State Rep. Maria Horn, honoring Mars for his lifelong efforts toward equal rights for all African-Americans. 

Other distinguished guests who gathered to commemorate Mars included U.S. Representative Johanna Hayes; Dennis Powell, head of NAACP Berkshire chapter; State Senator Kevin Witkos; Rev. Cleo Graham, Faith Congregational Church in Hartford; Salisbury students Brendan Cassamajor and Charlie Wilcox and host Rev. Erick Olsen of Norfolk UCC. Music by Torrington’s Angaza Mwando (“Our Culture is Beautiful”) added to the celebratory feel of the day.  

The James Mars Witness Stone installation was made possible through a grant from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.