The main mission of the Freedom Suits Memorial Foundation is to honor the more than 300 courageous St. Louis freedom suits plaintiffs and the lawyers and judges who helped them sue for their freedom in the decades leading up to the Civil War. The Foundation also strives to share the stories of the continuing struggles of Black Americans from 1865 to the present.

We believe that the compelling true stories of hundreds of Black women, children, and men will serve to open the hearts and minds of those unfamiliar with this crucially important, but still little known chapter in American history to move them towards not only understanding those plaintiffs, but also honoring their bravery.