In describing Primus, who was a child taken from his sick mother's bedside in Africa and enslaved in Norwich, and who watched his father die on the slave ship journey to America, the 1895 book about Norwich says the home he lived in measured 30' x 20'. The book said, “The school children would often pay [Old Primus] a visit.” It also said a barberry-bush grew on the rocks above his house.

On November 2nd at 11am, in collaboration with the city of Waterbury, the North End Rec and The RiseUp Group, my non-profit held a dedication ceremony to unveil a new mural for a former enslaved man in Waterbury named Fortune.

On November 2nd, 2024 @ 11am, we will be officially presenting the Fortune Mural at a dedication ceremony to be held at the North End Recreation Center; 268 N Main St in Waterbury, CT.

On September 13th at 3:00pm, Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine will be holding a ceremony to celebrate the induction of the site onto the Connecticut Freedom Trail, commemorating the life of Prince Mortimer.

To challenge the inequity in value subconsciously disseminated by the lack of representation in historical photos, the Alex Breanne Corporation has decided to commission a professional artist who will take each individual photo in our collection and create a new piece of portrait art for each.

It’s been 6 months in the making! The Mary & Thaddeus Newton Graveside Memorial Celebration went off without a hitch! It occurred at 11am on Friday, June 21st. Military honors for Stephen Newton, their son who died in the assault on Fort Wagner, were provided by the Connecticut National Guard, as well as by the Massachusetts 54th Regiment who traveled down from Boston to join us!

On Wednesday, June 19th (Juneteenth), I will be appearing on the Kelly Clarkson Show!

On Wednesday, June 19th (Juneteenth), I will be appearing on the Kelly Clarkson Show!

In honor of National Military Appreciation Month, join the Working Women’s Network, Yale African American Affinity Group, and Yale Veterans Network for a discussion with John Mills, an independent scholar and president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, discussing individuals of Connecticut's colored regiments.

The “Unforgotten“ project was made available on YouTube and on the Connecticut Public website on March 18th, 2024. It will now air on the Connecticut PBS affiliate CPTV as a 1 hour documentary.

I'm honored to have been asked to contribute to the creation of, “Unforgotten: Connecticut's Hidden History of Slavery” — a special series from Connecticut Public, featuring radio storytelling, in-depth videos, digital stories, pictures, a podcast and a television special.

After the Civil War, Isaac J. Hill moved to New Jersey. In 1867, Isaac published the first account of the 29th called, “A Sketch of the 29th Regiment of Connecticut Colored Troops.“ That book has since been used as a reference to other books and films.

What an honor to have been the focus of an article this week in the Washington Post!

A while back, I read a book called, “A Sketch of the 29th Regiment of Connecticut Colored Troops.“ It was written in 1866 by a man named Isaac J. Hill. The book is considered the definitive source for the experiences of the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment.

After 20 letters and emails, I found the descendants of Alexander Herritage Newton!!!

1833, in New Bern, NC, a free black woman named Mary Herritage married her love, an enslaved man named Thaddeus Newton. Thaddeus was enslaved by Peter and Catherine Custis, relatives of Robert E. Lee. They had kids, but because Thaddeus was enslaved, Mary had to make her own way.

Cost of the mural will be $25,000. To date, we have raised $18,000! We are aiming for mural creation in late Spring, 2024.

The Alex Breanne Corporation has been working to install a mural in Waterbury Connecticut in honor of “The Man Fortune“. Fortune was an 18th century enslaved man who’s body was used for medical science and profit for centuries after his death . Fortune’s bones would not be buried until 2013, which was 215 years after his death.

Henry C. Ward, a 33 year old white officer in the 29th, is listed on the New Haven monument twice… once each for 2 of his 3 promotions.

Back in May, I was having a conversation with Frank Winiarski, a historian in Wethersfield, CT. Frank suggested I may want to look into the possibility of having a street named after Prince Mortimer in the town where he lived.