The post linked below made by the Daughters of the American Revolution could not have been more timely.

“Share your Monumental Idea…”

This post was made on the same day that I had the pleasure of speaking with Maurice Barboza, founder and CEO of National Liberty Memorial.

The National Mall Liberty Fund DC is authorized by bipartisan legislation to construct a memorial in Washington DC to the thousands of African American Revolutionary War participants. These patriots are identified in the Forgotten Patriots research and congressional hearings to create the national memorial.

During our conversation, Mr. Barboza told me that he reached out to the DAR as recently as September of 2024 under the administration of Pamela Wright, seeking support for the installation of the monument but has received no further correspondence from the DAR.

Notably, Mr. Barboza is the nephew of Lena Santos Ferguson.

The DAR website describes Mrs. Ferguson as a “catalyst for change.”

Upon the suggestion of her nephew, Mrs. Ferguson applied for membership in the DAR in 1980. She originally attempted to join through a local Washington DC Chapter, but the chapter would not advance her application, due to racial discrimination.

She was admitted as an at-large member in 1983. She was later accepted into another local Washington DC chapter.

Because of Mrs. Ferguson, the DAR agreed to research and identify black patriots who served during the American Revolution.

They also agreed to work with the DAR Lineage Research Committee to help establish the lineage of eligible applicants related to these patriots which eventually evolved into The Forgotten Patriots Project.

On a whim, I reached out to Mr. Barboza, hoping to glean as much information from him about his aunt and her experience with the DAR and her own battle to be a “catalyst for change.”

I told him about the current battle DAR members are engaged in to preserve members’ rights, for the will of the assembly to be heard in convention on the controversial topic of men who identify as transgenders in the DAR – that members are fighting back against a tyrannical leadership that seeks to silence them.

I asked him what he thought about the DAR invoking the name of his aunt in this controversial topic and how she would have felt about it.

Mr. Barboza was very measured in his response, replying that “I can’t tell you how my aunt would feel about this particular controversy, but what I can tell you is that she would applaud your efforts to fight for what you believe in. She would be proud of the Revolutionary Spirit of members who seek to have their voices heard.”

I asked Mr. Barboza his own personal views, and he graciously said that he did not feel he had the prerogative to weigh in. While I disagree that he does, I understand his reply and appreciate his honesty.

To say that I was humbled to have the opportunity to speak to this kind gentleman and trailblazer in his own right, is an understatement.

I hope to continue to work with him to promote and support the building of his dream – the monument to the African American Revolutionary War participants.

Thank you, Mr. Barboza.