The city of Cincinnati, Ohio unveiled a statue of civil rights activist Marian Spencer the day before her 101st birthday.
Unveiled at John G. & Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park on June 27, the life-size sculpture is the first named statue of a woman in town.
The city of Cincinnati, Ohio, has unveiled a statue of civil rights activist Marian Spencer. (Photo: University of Cincinnati / YouTube screenshot)
Spencer, a civil rights advocate, was the first black woman on Cincinnati City Council and the first black female vice mayor to be proposed.
“Marian deserves this honor as she was an extraordinary woman of grace and dignity who dedicated her life to advocating equality, justice, and her belief that each of us has the ability – and responsibility – to make the world a better place close. “Said Alice Schneider, Chair of the Marian A. Spencer Statue Committee, who proposed the statue.
Schneider is also a member of the Woman’s City Club, which commissioned the statue after raising $ 175,000 from 250 donations, surpassing the $ 125,000 goal.
“It was a dream of mine to have a woman statue. There are perhaps nearly 100 statues of men in and around Cincinnati and none of a real woman named, ”Schneider said, reported The Cincinnati Inquirer. There are no other statues of women in Cincinnati based on real historical figures.
The statue, created by Tom Tsuchiya and Gina Erardi, is complemented by two children to symbolize Spencer’s work with youth and how it will inspire new generations. It was supposed to be revealed last summer but has been postponed because of the pandemic.
As the granddaughter of a former enslaved person, Spencer’s struggle for civil rights began in 1952 when she led the desegregation at Coney Island amusement park when her children were not allowed to go to an event in the park after a representative admitted the event was not open to blacks Children. With the help of the NAACP, Spencer filed a lawsuit against the park and won a victory desegregation.
Spencer served 20 years as chairman of the Cincinnati NAACP Education Committee, which campaigned for educational justice, and served as chapter president of the Cincinnati NAACP from 1980 to 1982 before joining the city council in 1983.
Spencer pushed for the integration of swimming pools, schools, and summer camps for children, as well as the integration of dormitories at the University of Cincinnati.
The life-size sculpture was unveiled at John G. & Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park on June 27th. Photo: WCPO / YouTube screenshot.
The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce named Spencer a “Great Living Cincinnatian” in 1998.
“She was personable and friendly, but at the same time she could get things done,” said Schneider, who got to know Spencer before she died. “You knew you were working with someone who was strong and dedicated.”
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