Remembering Bristow

At the time of Bristow's death in 1814, his life and story wasn't as recognized in West Hartford as it is now. In fact, it pretty much wasn't' recognized at all other than the gravestone he had in the center of town. Thankfully, people living in West Hartford now are beginning to honor those who were enslaved in our town many years ago. One way we have been able to honor Bristow and the other people enslaved in West Hartford is by painting murals in the center of town, symbolizing slavery and what Bristow and others had to go through back then. For a long time, people have been focusing on the enslavers and putting the spotlight on them. Whether those people were saying good or bad things, we finally realized that it was time to put the spotlight on the people who were enslaved, not on the enslavers. By doing this, we have been able to learn of the hardships that Bristow and many others faced and we are also able to raise awareness and educate people who may not know as much.