By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

In Summary:

Organized by the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, the ceremony marked the official dedication of the “Circle of Chains” sculpture, created by Steven Whyte and installed near the Florida State Capitol. The Legislature approved the memorial in 2018, allocating $400,000 for its design and fabrication, but several lawmakers said they were unaware when it was quietly installed last spring. Speakers framed the monument as both a remembrance and a responsibility, urging leaders to confront the past while addressing the inequities that persist today.

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Nearly eight years after the Florida Legislature approved a memorial recognizing the inhumanity of slavery,  a dedication ceremony for a bronze sculpture called “Circle of Chains,” organized by the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, took place Tuesday across the street from the Capitol.

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The life-sized sculpture features six enslaved people in chains and was created by Steven Whyte, a Carmel, Calif., sculptor.

The Legislature approved the memorial during the 2018 legislative session. Miami-Dade Democrat Kionne McGhee sponsored the measure in the House, and Tampa Bay-area Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson carried it in the Senate. The bill charged the Department of Management Services with developing the design and placement and allocating $400,000 for fabrication.

Whyte was selected by review committee members who called on artists to recognize “the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the American colonies and to honor the nameless and forgotten men, women, and children who have gone unrecognized for their undeniable and weighty contributions to the United States.”

“It tells every child that walks past it that your story matters, your struggle matters, your contribution matters. It tells every visitor this nation was built by many hands, and every hand deserves honor,” Rouson said, kicking off the half-hour event. “America’s greatness is not found in denying its history, but in having the courage to face it and the wisdom to grow from it. “

Democratic Reps. Felicia Robinson from Miami Gardens and RaShon Young from Orlando also spoke during the event.

“Father, we acknowledge that these chains represent the suffering of enslaved people,” Young said as a prayer.

“The stolen names, the broken families, the bodies worked beyond dignity, and the generations across the diaspora marked by trauma. Yet we are sustained by your grace. And so let this memorial be more than a symbol. Let it be a stirring of conscience for every legislator and leader gathered here on these grounds, and who are sitting in the building behind us. For every advocate and partner in progress who does not just remember but who responds, not just to honor the past, but to do justice in the present.”

The event featured Tallahassee R&B, Gospel, and Southern Soul singer Anthony Williams singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “Amazing Grace.”


Democratic state Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis at the dedication ceremony for Florida’s Memorial to the Enslaved (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix).

Central Florida Democratic Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis finished the presentation with an original piece she entitled, “We Remember,” which was inspired by the Circle of Chains monument.

“Six figures. Six chapters. Six voices. Six stories, carried before they were ever written,” she said, referring to the individuals depicted in the monument.

“Six truths passed mouth to mouth when paper was denied. Six testimonials that history tried to flatten, to remain, or to leave unfinished. Six witnesses where silence once stood. Six reminders that memory is not linear; it is layered. It is circular. It returns. These figures do not compete with one another. They testify together. They do not ask to be interpreted; they insist on being remembered.”

The ceremony took place nearly nine months after the monument was originally installed in April 2025. Several lawmakers told the Phoenix last summer that they weren’t even aware of its installation. Sen. Rouson, chair of the Black Caucus, said he had been informed by state officials that they wanted to install surveillance cameras on the property before making any formal announcement.

Along with a number of Democrats at the event, Jacksonville Republican House member Wyman Duggan was also in attendance. “This is an important part of our state’s history and our common shared experience as Floridians, and I wouldn’t miss it,” he said.

Key Points:

The memorial was approved by the Legislature in 2018 with $400,000 for design and installation.
Created by sculptor Steven Whyte, it depicts six enslaved people linked in chains.
The ceremony was organized by the Florida Legislative Black Caucus.
Darryl Rouson said the monument tells children, “your story matters.”
Lawmakers said the sculpture serves as both remembrance and a call for present-day justice.

Keywords

Florida Capitol memorial,

Circle of Chains,

slavery memorial Florida,

Florida Legislative Black Caucus,

Tallahassee monument,

Steven Whyte sculpture,

Darryl Rouson,

Florida history,

enslaved people memorial