The towns of Brentwood and North Brentwood will replace an ugly symbol of segregation with art dedicated to racial reconciliation.

On Saturday, June 29, the two towns — one founded by Black veterans of the Civil War, one historically white — will unveil a sculpture to replace the highway segregation barrier that long separated them on Windom Road.

“Growing up in North Brentwood, I know the offense schoolchildren and families have felt with having to cross this barricade to walk to school,” said North Brentwood Mayor Petrella Robinson, who is Black. “We honor the residents who fought against this blatant discrimination, and we pave the path for unity and equity.”

Erected in 1957 in response to the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the barrier was one of a number of “segregation walls” or “race walls” built during segregation in cities such as Miami, Detroit, Atlanta and Fort Worth. It was featured in historian James Loewen’s book “Sundown Towns,” named for the fact that Black residents were at risk of violence after sunset if they crossed these barriers.

The two towns decided several years ago to finally tear down the barrier, working together to hire the artists Nehemiah Dixon III and Wesley Clark to build a memorial sculpture inside of a new town park on Windom Road.

“This is the culmination of the deep partnership between the towns and proof of what happens when communities fight racism together,” said Brentwood Mayor Rocio Treminio-Lopez. “As an immigrant who grew up in this community, today’s unveiling cements a commitment to pave the way for a future of inclusion and rights for anyone who lives here.”

The sculpture will be unveiled at a town event from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the new Windom Road Historic Barrier Park.

You can read more about the history of the Brentwood Windom Rd segregation barrier here.

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