by adminA new monument honoring abolitionist Harriet Tubman was unveiled in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, replacing a long-standing statue of Christopher Columbus.
The monument — named “Shadow of a Face”— was unveiled Thursday in Newark’s newly renamed Harriet Tubman Square, paying homage to both Tubman’s and the city’s role in the Underground Railroad along with the Black Liberation Movement’s history in the area, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a news release.
The title of the monument was inspired by Robert Hayden’s 1962 poem entitled “Runagate Runagate,” which references Tubman.
“In a time when so many cities are choosing to topple statues that limit the scope of their people’s story, we have chosen to erect a monument that spurs us into our future story of exemplary strength and solidity,” Baraka said in a statement.
“We have created a focal point in the heart of our city that expresses our participation in an ongoing living history of a people who have grappled through many conflicts to steadily lead our nation in its progress toward racial equality,” he added.
The 25-foot-tall monument includes a mosaic of tiles and a circular learning wall inscribed with stories of Tubman’s life and the history of Newark’s Black liberation movement. The portrait wall features an image of Tubman at its base while the mosaic features ceramic tiles commissioned by Newark residents, according to the news release.
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