A New Beacon of Hope
Statue honoring Harriet Tubman installed in Maryland.
Sculptor Wesley Wofford has created a permanent monument of one of America’s most remarkable heroines, Harriet Tubman.
Araminta Ross, a.k.a. Harriet Tubman, was born in Dorchester County, Maryland. Residents and dignitaries were on hand in Maryland on September 10, 2022, (The Day of Resilience) to unveil the sculpture and to pay homage to their native civil rights leader.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan proclaimed 2022 as “The Year of Harriet Tubman” to commemorate the bicentennial of her birth. The celebration marked the culmination of two years of community grassroots fundraising and activities to create and install the permanent sculpture.
In 2020 the Alpha Genesis Community Development Corporation hosted Wofford’s traveling sculpture of Harriet Tubman, Journey to Freedom. The display of that iconic piece lit a fire with the community development corporation to take on the task of raising close to $300,000 for a new public art project. Wofford met and collaborated with the community to create the epic monument.
The 11-foot bronze statue, The Beacon of Hope, represents Harriet as an adult and as a child. Adult Harriet is handing young Harriet the key to her destiny. Jada Bryson, a descendant of Tubman, and Otelia (young Harriet), were models for the statue.
Details & Narrative
This sculpture depicts the transformation of young Araminta Ross to the American icon Harriet Tubman. Harriet, as a free woman, is reaching down with an encouraging hand to help the child who was just struck in the head with a weight. Little Araminta cannot see the path of her life or the legend that she will become, yet she finds inspiration within herself to push forward although there are many obstacles in her path. Harriet is stepping up and over an oxen yoke, a metaphor for the yoke of slavery as well as a historical detail—young Araminta was known to drive a team of oxen while working with her father cutting trees in Dorchester County.
The pile of chains, shackles, manacles, and collars represent the weight and horror of slavery. Many of the them are open and represent the people Harriet personally rescued. But many are still closed, and represent those she was unable to liberate as well as the repercussions of slavery that have been carried into the future and continue to adversely affect people of color.
Wofford’s Harriet holds the light of inspiration for others to follow. She used the North Star to navigate herself out of slavery, and became that same guiding star for others to follow. Generations of children and adults alike can relate and draw strength from this powerful story. This beautiful tribute to Harriet Tubman can be seen at the Dorchester County Courthouse in Cambridge, MD.
Harriet Tubman Finds her Resilient Place in Cambridge: A Chat with Artist Wesley Wofford.
Cambridge is now home to two major pieces of public art dedicated to Harriet Tubman: Beacon of Hope and Take My Hand, a mural by local artist Michael Rosato that went viral in 2019. Learn more at the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center, HarrietTubmanByway.org.
Wofford Sculpture Studio is located in Cashiers, NC. Small Beacon of Hope replicas and keepsakes are available. For more information, please visit woffordsculpturestudio.com.
