Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy, in partnership with the African American Memorial Conservancy and local leaders, held a dedication ceremony for the African American Heritage Monument & Park at Bates Allen Park in Kendleton.

The event drew residents, descendants, and officials from across Texas to recognize the history and legacy of one of the state’s early African American communities.

The 40-foot-tall monument, located on a 236-acre site, is now the tallest monument dedicated to African American heritage in the United States. The park was created to preserve and highlight the contributions of African Americans in the region, particularly the families who settled in Kendleton after emancipation.

The ceremony, emceed by Khambrel Marshall, included remarks from Commissioner McCoy, Kendleton Mayor Veronica Melton Harris, and Reverend Richard Booker of Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Performances were provided by gospel artist Kirisma Evans, and tributes were given by descendants of Kendleton’s founding families, including Kimberly Alton-Calhoun, Washington “Rey” Alton, and Henry Douglas King, Sr. African American Memorial Conservancy Board Chair Lucy Bremond also spoke about the monument’s historical significance.

The monument was designed by Daimian Hines in collaboration with Hines Architecture + Design (Hines A+D). The site includes Newman Chapel Cemetery, where Benjamin Franklin Williams, the first Black legislator in Texas, is buried, and it is part of Texas’s first African American settlement.

Commissioner McCoy described the park as a place where visitors can learn about the history of the community and its contributions to the state.

The dedication coincides with Fort Bend County’s interest in using heritage sites to support cultural education, tourism, and local development.