RALEIGH, NC -- Gov. Mike Easley has thrown his support behind a proposed monument on the State Capitol grounds honoring the African-American experience in North Carolina.

The governor will ask the General Assembly for $1 million for the N.C. Freedom Monument Project as part of his proposed budget released this week.

State legislators approved $100,000 in planning money for the project last year. The $1 million in the proposed budget will pay for more planning, monument design and preparation of the site, Easley spokesman Seth Effron said. MORE

A new prospect for Raleigh's monumental landscape