On November 2nd at 11am, a dedication ceremony will be held at the North End Recreation Center in Waterbury, CT to honor a new mural for a formerly enslaved man named Fortune.
The mural will also depict the legacy of Fortune's memory, celebrating influential individuals in the 50 year history of the North End Recreation Center. The address is 268 N Main St in Waterbury, CT.
Fortune was enslaved to Dr. Preserved Porter, whose farm existed on the lot currently occupied by Brass Mill Commons Shopping Center. Fortune and his family were known to the Waterbury community… his son Africa was responsible for ringing the schoolhouse bell for 3 months in 1790. Also, on December 20th, 1797, Fortune was baptized at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Fortune’s untimely death was recorded in 1798.
After Fortune’s death, Dr. Porter and his descendants used Fortune’s bones as a tool for learning and training anatomy for over a century, many descendants of Dr. Porter also becoming doctors. In the 1930’s, Fortune’s bones become a museum artifact, placed on display at the Mattatuck Museum for decades, then studied by many universities, eventually buried in 2013 at Riverside Cemetery, 215 years after his death.
The Fortune Mural Project was an effort initiated by the Alex Breanne Corporation, a Connecticut-based non-profit focused on researching the formerly enslaved, then injecting them into the communities where they lived, worked or died. The work was managed by RiseUp for Arts, a Connecticut-based public arts non-profit. The artist who created the mural is Katiana Jarbath-Smith. A collective of state and local entities participated in a committee to drive this effort to completion.
The Fortune Mural is intended to challenge our common definition of exceptionalism. It turns the lens towards those who may not be in our history books, yet built this country. It celebrates those who were kind-hearted, God fearing, and raised families, all while enduring racism, bias and mistreatment; doing so long enough for us all to exist today. To honor that definition of exceptionalism, the Fortune Mural also lists the names of individuals who have carried on the legacy of Fortune, embodying the same characteristics. Their names can be seen depicted on the Tree of Life… individuals who have had a positive impact on the North End Recreation Center and the community at large.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the North End Recreation Center. We are excited to celebrate this milestone alongside the dedication of the new mural; a celebration highlighting both history and community.
November 2nd, 2024
11am - 1pm ET
North End Recreation Center, 268 N Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702
RSVP at https://www.simpletix.com/e/fortune-mural-dedication-ceremony-tickets-191025
Please join us!