WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Bellamy Mansion Museum hosted an event called, “The Gathering.”

It honored the enslaved men, women and children who lived on the site and actually built the mansion.

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The event featured live performances of history lessons through storytelling, singing, and speeches.

Social Activist Barbara Bell-Coleman is a descendant of the enslaved Craftsman Henry Taylor.

She addressed colorism and slavery in her speech.

Coleman says the key to fixing our problems is by addressing them.

“We can’t gloss over the past, and as painful as it is, it’s an opportunity,” Coleman said. “We are interconnected with one another, whether we want to be or not; therefore, we must insist on open, candid conversation.”

After hours of extensive research on 10 other enslaved Bellamy Mansion workers, Coleman publicly announced their names for the first time.

She says they should never be forgotten.