A statue honoring Harriet Tubman will be spending the next three months on Lancaster’s south side as part of an ongoing nationwide tour.
Crafted by sculptor Wesley Wofford, the 9-foot, 2,400-pound brass sculpture “Harriet Tubman: Journey to Freedom” depicts the abolitionist and Underground Railroad leader guiding an enslaved girl to freedom.
It was displayed in five cities last year, including Philadelphia, where it stood outside City Hall. Most recently, it was shown at the Ulster County government offices building in Kingston, N.Y.
In Lancaster, it will be on view near Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School at the corner of South Duke and North streets from this coming Monday through March 30.
The display is sponsored by the African American Cultural Alliance of Lancaster, which is hosting an unveiling ceremony at the school at 1 p.m. Saturday. Registration for the event has reached capacity, the organization said Thursday, and no more tickets are available.
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) escaped from slavery and became one of the most active and successful “conductors” on the Underground Railroad, rescuing dozens of individuals at great risk to her own life. She served the Union Army during the Civil War as a spy, and campaigned for women’s suffrage in her later years.
Recently, she was the subject of the biographical film “Harriet,” released in 2019. In 2021, the Biden administration said it was advancing plans to place Tubman’s portrait on the $20 bill, reviving an initiative announced during President Obama’s tenure.
