Dear supporters,

My name is Eric Williams, and I am a descendant of former enslaved people from the Mimosa Hall plantation in Leigh, Texas.  I am on a quest for truth about the history behind the Chalice Quilt which is, I believe, an important piece of Black history currently exhibited at the American Museum & Gardens in Bath, England.

Until September 2022, the American Museum and Gardens have exhibited the Chalice Quilt with the story that it was made by enslaved persons living at Mimosa Hall during the 1800s, which was taken from them by their white enslavers to give as a present to a visiting Bishop.

My Great-Great-Grandmother Mirriam was one of those slaves, and she is buried right next to the plantation owner in his family grave.  We contend that the Chalice Quilt belongs to the WILLIAMS family, and we have asked for it back, to be exhibited locally at the National Museum of African American History and Culture to educate the world about the horrors of the slave trade. 

However, since making our request to the American Museum & Gardens for restitution of the Chalice Quilt in September 2022, they have suddenly changed their narrative, and are now telling us we have no claim to it as it was made in the early 20th century, after the emancipation of slaves.

Despite this, the museum continues to refer to the Chalice Quilt in their own materials with reference to the fact that it was made by the slaves of Mimosa Hall. The museum has also refused our requests for disclosure of any evidence it might have as to its provenance.  In their most recent correspondence, they refused our request for disclosure of the materials they hold in relation to its provenance. 

What is the truth?  Either the museum has exploited black history (knowingly or otherwise) to advance a false narrative around the Quilt.  Or, it is expropriating black history by refusing to return it to the family of its rightful owners. 

This blurring of the facts and confusion surrounding the truth is unacceptable. Black history and the history of the slave trade must be preserved, so that the young generation may continue to know and to spread the truth about what happened to our people. 

This campaign is a quest for the truth.  We need your help to instruct experts, who can once and for all determine the provenance of the Chalice Quilt. Your kind donations will also help pay for our legal team, UK Human Rights firm McCue Jury & Partners, to negotiate with the American Museum & Gardens for full disclosure of the information they hold as to the quilt’s provenance.  Our quest for truth is not only for our family, but it is for the wider public to ensure that our history, and the truth, is not erased. 

Please donate and share our campaign far and wide. Together, we can make a difference and establish the truth about the Chalice Quilt. 

Thank you for your generosity.

Sincerely,

Eric Williams & Family