The City of Windsor is set to unveil an Emancipation Celebration Monument this August.
The designs were unveiled at Jackson Park on Friday, where the monument will be displayed, along with a life-sized bronze sculpture of "Mr. Emancipation" Walter Perry.
Construction of the monument will begin right away, and will be completed by August 1, while the sculpture is expected to be installed in 2027.
The finished monument will include a large decorative archway that will be 28 feet across and nearly 15 feet high, built to reflect the shape and style of the proscenium of the original Jackson Park bandstand, which burned down in 1957.
Other elements of the monument include three murals depicting the history of Emancipation Day in Windsor, panels with historical information and images, decorative benches, space for the installation of the Perry sculpture, and pathways with opportunities for donor names on bricks around the site.
Local sculptor Mark Williams says the Perry sculpture will take roughly a year and a half to complete.
"Usually I have somebody who models for me, I'll get somebody who has the appearance of him, and then I'll get proper clothing, get all that detail, take that and put it into a series of sketches, and then I'll start from there and build up from that point."
Dennis K. Smith, a local artist creating the murals within the monument, says the murals will reflect the first Emancipation Day Parade held in Windsor in 1932.
"I hope they can see the excitement, the pride built into it, and the unity of the city. It wasn't just an event for Blacks, we had America and Canada who came together to celebrate freedom - period."
Smith says it will be emotional when the monument is revealed.
"There will be a lot of learning time because there's a lot of young people who don't know anything about what happened. And if you see the old photos, Windsor was alive and said the fact that we all came together for a weekend. It didn't matter who you were, what colour you were."
The Emancipation Celebration Monument and gathering space at Jackson Park is supported by an investment of over $400,000 from City Council through the City of Windsor's 2026 budget.
The city and the Emancipation Celebration Monument Committee have partnered with the WindsorEssex Community Foundation (WECF) to raise funds for the sculpture, which is expected to cost approximately $140,000.
The city is also launching a special Emancipation Celebration Monument Commemorative Brick Program, where $100 will allow for an inscripted brick which will be placed in a circular path around the monument. Interested donors are asked to reach out to the city by June 1.