The legendary abolitionists and civil rights activists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass are set to receive
The Maryland Board of Public Works approved a contract to place bronze statues of Tubman and Douglass in Maryland’s historic State House. A 3-0 vote for the $575,000 contract was approved on Wednesday for the statues of the Maryland-born abolitionists, WJLA reports.
“The Maryland State House tells the story of our state and our country,“ Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch. ”But there has been a critical component missing inside the walls of the State House: the important contributions of African-Americans to that story. These statues will fill that missing gap and I’m pleased to see this project moving forward.“
Tubman and Douglass were both born into slavery in the 19th-century on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After they both escaped slavery, they went on to become historical advocates for abolition and civil rights. Tubman escaped slavery through the famous Underground Railroad and Douglass successfully escaped slavery by boarding a train from the newly merged Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (P.W.& B.) railroad line to the great Northern cities.
The contract for the statues is with The Christmas Company, of Sterling, Virginia, and calls for the project’s completion within 390 days.
“If the state of Maryland is going to honor Ms. Tubman and Mr. Douglass, we need to do it the right way,” Ivey wrote in a letter to the board.
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Image: WJLA
