Glory for George, Freedom Unfinished Weekend July 13-16, 2023, Concord, MA

 This weekend series of high-engagement events for visitors and locals alike seek to honor the legacy of Concord native son, George, Washington Dugan on the 160th Anniversary and his heroic sacrifice as a member of Massachusetts, 54th the first all-black regiment of the Civil War.

For the first time in 160 years, Concord will publicly honor its native son George Washington Dugan.

Concord has never formally recognized their native son and has struggled to even have his name added to the town’s Civil War Monument 160 years later.

This celebration will be an opportunity to begin a multi-year process to honor the sacrifice of George Washing Dugan and all those who served in the various black regiments. The story of the son of a formerly enslaved man who gave his life in the pursuit of Union victory, only to be ignored and forgotten by his native town is telling.

As our country wrestles with a more complicated yet complete understanding of its past, places like Concord can be at the forefront of sharing that history with the public and with ourselves. In the middle of a wider conversation about race, justice, the mistreatment of indigenous peoples, and the legacy of enslavement in the United States today, Concord must continue reckoning with its own part in that history.

This weekend, seeks to tie together events of the American Revolution, and those of the War of the Rebellion, and show how the concept of freedom, the seeking of freedom and the winning of freedom is a task of many generations and it is yet unfinished. This opportunity allows for public visibility and exposure to learn about and honor a history that may be new to them, but is essential for them and their understanding of Concord’s role in securing freedom for all people