“They deserved something that would stop people ... something that would allow moments of reflection,” Burns said.

Among the speakers at Saturday’s dedication were U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta; Mableton Mayor Michael Owens; state Rep. Terry Cummings, D-Mableton; and Tonyah Cotton, Ruff’s great-great granddaughter.

“I don’t think she had any idea how her name would be spoken over and over and over again, and come to mean a concept of togetherness, a concept of appreciation and the concept of rectifying the historical accounts that have not only in this area, but in this country.”

Cotton spoke on the importance of continuing to fight to preserve the legacies of those of the past, and using their stories to fight for freedom today. She also noted the monumental achievement that Juneteenth represented for African-American people.

“Today is a day where we are not victims, we are victors,” she said.

Owens highlighted the sense of progress the garden brought to him.

“Standing here in Matilda’s Garden, named for a woman born into slavery, reminds me just how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time,” he said.

Owens spoke of the spirit of enslaved people, and how their resilience laid the foundation for emancipation and the Juneteenth holiday.

At the heart of the garden is the Toni Morrison Bench, created in collaboration with the Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District, Cobb County Parks and the Smyrna Jonquil Garden Club.

The bench project is inspired by the late novelist Toni Morrison, who said, “There is no place you or I can go, to think about … to summon the presence of or recollect the absences of slaves… There’s no small bench by the road.”

Dr. Carolyn Denard, a founder and board chair of the Toni Morrison Society, called Saturday’s celebration a perfect example for why the bench project was launched.

According to the 1860 United States census, the last taken before the abolition of slavery, 3,819 enslaved people lived in Cobb County, making up about 27% of the county’s population.

McBath called the site a “garden of love,” and spoke of her efforts to transform Juneteenth into a federal holiday, which occurred in 2021.

She recalled the words of Morrison, saying, “We celebrate the hope of Toni Morrison, who called us to dream the world as it ought to be.”

McBath underscored the importance of Matilda Ruff’s story.

“Her story, and the stories of her children and all of her descendants are essential to understanding the full history of our community,” McBath said.