A prominent intersection in Downtown Newark is home to a new work of art honoring a civil rights legend that was created by a Jersey-born artist.
Mayor Ras J. Baraka was joined by Queen Latifah, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and other dignitaries last week to unveil a new monument honoring Harriet Tubman. The piece doubles as a tribute to the city’s role in the Underground Railroad along with the Black liberation movement’s rich history in the area.
Sitting on Harriet Tubman Square at the intersection of Washington and Broad Streets, the work is titled Shadow of a Face. The monument, which replaces a statue of Christopher Columbus that was removed during the summer of 2020 and relocated, was designed by New Jersey artist and architect Nina Cooke John
The moniker refers to a line in the 1962 Robert Hayden poem “Runagate Runagate.” The unveiling heralds the inception of the city’s newly launched Arts & Education District and is the first major step towards a full park revitalization effort to be led by Newark City Parks Foundation.
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