Harriet Tubman monument takes Newark space formerly held by Columbus statue

A monument to Harriet Tubman is now filling a space that was formerly home to a Christopher Columbus statue in Newark, N.J. 

The statue of the legendary abolitionist and women’s rights advocate was unveiled in downtown Newark on Thursday at Harriet Tubman Square, with her great-great-great-grand-nieces in attendance for the ceremony, according to local affiliate ABC7.

The 25-foot-tall monument, titled “Shadow of a Face,” is the work of architect Nina Cooke John. It is made of steel extending into a trellis for visitors to walk under. A timeline of Tubman’s life and the city’s abolitionist history is etched on a circular wall, and an audio narration by Queen Latifah, a Newark native, plays from above. 

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced the city’s plans to replace Columbus with Tubman in 2021 after racial justice protests saw cities around the nation take down Columbus and Confederate statues. 

“It is only fitting that we memorialize Tubman’s heroic efforts leading enslaved Africans to freedom via the Underground Railroad at this time of year when we celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States,” Baraka said at the time. “Ms. John’s work of public art will be a symbol of hope and optimism for generations to come, not only for our Newark community, but also for the entire country.”

At Thursday’s ceremony, Baraka spoke of Tubman’s work with the Underground Railroad, a network of escape routes for slaves to follow as they ran toward freedom in states that had already abolished slavery.

Baraka said Tubman helped “shepherd folks out of slavery into freedom” and was a woman “who fought for democracy and freedom,” according to NBCNews.

Tubman was born into slavery in 1822, but escaped at age 27. She married a free Black man, John Tubman, in 1844, and began helping rescue slaves from enslavement. In a her time helping slaves escape to freedom, she was never captured, and she never lost a passenger. 

Tubman was the first woman to lead an armed military raid in the Civil War, freeing 750 slaves in South Carolina in 1963. 

Tubman died exactly 110 years ago, on March 10, 1913.