By Christine M. Quirk — Christine@concordbridge.org
When seeking letters of support for Community Preservation Act funding, the Civil War Monument Task Force needed to look no further than Willard Elementary School.
Fifth graders had been writing to the town for years, pressing to add George Washington Dugan’s name to the monument — and their letters helped secure the funds to do just that.
“Don’t you hate it when you do something good, and you’re not remembered for your good deed?” one letter began. “Well, that happened to a Black man in Concord’s history. His name was George Washington Dugan.”
Students of teachers Sydney Pomponi and Katie Vaudrain campaigned for three years for the addition of Dugan’s name.
Pomponi, a Black woman, started the project in part because Dugan is the only Black man from Concord who fought in the war. “The fact that he was intentionally left off was even more upsetting,” she said.
A moment that mattered
Pomponi and Vaudrain unveiled the new plaque at a Monument Square ceremony, an honor Vaudrain said she wasn’t expecting but which sent the message that “kids’ voices matter and that they’re able to know that they were heard and seen for the greater good.”
Pomponi agreed, adding that her charges sometimes think their actions aren’t significant.
“This was a good example for them of something really does matter, and it mattered to this man’s life, and now he’s remembered by the town for this,” she said.
Beth van Duzer, who helped apply for the grant, read excerpts of the letters at Saturday’s ceremony and said some “brought tears to the eyes of people who read our application.”
“George Washington Dugan bravely fought in Concord in the Civil War, but he never got the recognition he deserved,” another letter read. “Concord is a place of great history, so all you need to do is add his name and you can make history.”
That history was made on November 9.
“What an opportunity for the kiddos in Concord, where it’s not necessarily super diverse. It’s taking a step in the lane of advocacy,” Vaudrain said.
“Even if it isn’t representative of you and your past and your history, [it shows] we all are one, all in this together, and you can make a difference and lift others up.”
