CAMBRIDGE, Md. - The Beacon of Hope statue will stand in front of the Circuit Court House, in Cambridge.
The ceremony will be at the Cambridge Circuit Court House on Sept. 10 at noon.
Harriet Tubman's legacy will be able to stand proud. However, it won't be a statue that you only admire. It is encouraged to walk up the stairs, and touch the statue. And, the artist, Wesley Wofford, said he added little 'Easter eggs' to symbolize specific events. For example, the chains at the bottom and the star compass in Tubman's hand.
President of the Alpha Genesis Community Development Corporation, Adrian Holmes, started this project and many others like this, in Cambridge.
"We use art and culture as a platform for people to find their voice. And, to have those diverse and uncomfortable conversations, to bring about healing, reconciliation, and unity within our community," says Holmes.
And, for this project specifically, Holmes says, "that's what this project has done, hands down. The statue is beautiful, but the story behind it and how this community has come together in so many diverse ways to make this happen, is unprecedented."
The Statue itself has been a long time coming. It has taken about 18 months of planning and sculpting to get this ready for Sept. 10.
Wofford says there is one part of the sculpture that's sends one of the strongest messages. It is, the star compass hand. (Pictured above).
Wofford says, "She was the light. Like the people that she was guiding out, she used the north star to guide herself out and then she became that guiding compass for others."
The bronze statue will stand 13-feet-tall. And, to add to the interaction, 800 bricks will be available for you to engrave and place below Tubman.
President of the Harriet Tubman Organization, William Jarmon says, "I look at it as a part of history of Dorchester County. It represents who we were and what we are today."
A beacon of hope, hoping to bring Cambridge's history to life.