On Sunday, March 12, we visited the recently dedicated Harriet Tubman Monument, "Shadow of a Face," located in Harriet Tubman Square, formerly Washington Park, on the spot where a statue of Christopher Columbus once stood! (The buildings in the first image are the North Reformed Church that was built in 1857 with a spire rising to 165 feet and the headquarters of the IDT Corporation.) The raised consciousness and changes in public commemoration are fascinating and exciting to behold! Right and middle two images (click to enlarge): Inside the monument is a mosaic of tiles by Newark residents, and 11 inscribed panels that tell the story of "Newark's Liberation Movement." A timeline of Harriet Tubman's life is on the outside wall and includes: "1890s Joins the movement for women's right to vote." In the left image, note the sign for the online audiobook company Audible (to the right of the Rutgers sign). Thanks to Audible, there is an "audio experience" for the Harriet Tubman Monument and Newark's Liberation Movement—a "listening wall" where you can hear accounts, narrated by Queen Latifah, a Newark-born rapper and actor, and written by Pia Wilson.. A sample video is posted below: The text is "Though her heart raced with fear she followed the North Star since God wanted her to be free." Nina Cooke John, an architect and the designer of the monument "aims to connect the stories of the past to stories of today."
Sample of mosaic tiles
Two panels from the "Newark's Liberation Movement"
There was a steady stream of visitors, including Ayisha and her daughter Autumn from Florida. They were visited friends in Newark and heard about the monument. We had a wonderful time talking and connecting with each other—a new friendship forged!
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