Many of the Sugarland 95 were born as free man (after 1865) over 154 years ago. The discovery is not just a “Sugar Land” Texas story; this is an International story! This discovery is the first of its kind in history. As you will hear in the Podcast of the interview with the descendants, families wondered what happened to their loved one. Where did the men go who disappeared? Convict leasing is still happening today. They used convicted men as firefighters just a few weeks ago in Los Angeles for no pay. The loophole is still in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. We All Need To Continue To Stand Up to Injustice!

Black Codes In South Re-Establish Slavery

The Sugar Land 95 refers to the remains of the 94 men - and one T probable woman - unearthed by a backhoe operator on February 19, 2018. The discovery took place during the construction of the James Reese Career and Technical Center, a vocational high school in the Fort Bend Independent School District. The school is about 25 miles southwest of downtown Houston, Texas.

Local historians and activists had long argued that the construction site could be a burial ground for Sugar Land convict laborers, who were brought to the area as low-cost slaves in the late 1800s through the early 20th Century. They were correct. The discovery shocked the world. How could this be happening... in the middle of a master-planned community? Contentious debate and legal wrangling about whether to relocate the remains dragged on. In the end, the Sugar Land 95 rest where they were first found: A large field next to the Reese Career and Technical Center in Sugar Land.

No names are listed on each grave site. The exact identities of the Sugar Land 95 are largely unknown. However, DNA testing – combined with genealogical research -is now underway to identify descendants of those buried at the site.

The plight of the Sugar Land 95 sheds a glaring light on the practice and abuses of convict leasing, the sordid and sanitized narrative of Sugar Land’s and Fort Bend County’s creation, and the global businesses that benefited extensively and financially from this troubling period in the city’s, state’s and nation’s history.

Educate. Honor. Heal. The Society of Justice & Equality for the People of Sugar Land (S.O.J.E.S.) is an independent, non-profit community organization dedicated to historic preservation and educating the community about the contributions of African Americans in the creation and progression of Sugar Land and Fort Bend County, Texas. This includes commemorating and memorializing the Sugar Land 95. sojesjustice.org