Shadow of a Face: Harriet Tubman Monument (Newark, New Jersey)
Dublin Core
Title
Shadow of a Face: Harriet Tubman Monument (Newark, New Jersey)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Antislavery movements--United States
Black Power movements--New Jersey--Newark
Civil rights movements--United States
Freedom
New Jersey--Newark
Public art
Public sculpture
Underground Railroad
Antislavery movements--United States
Black Power movements--New Jersey--Newark
Civil rights movements--United States
Freedom
New Jersey--Newark
Public art
Public sculpture
Underground Railroad
Subject (Name):
Tubman, Harriet, 1822-1913
Tubman, Harriet, 1822-1913
Subject (Object Type):
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
A larger-than-life metal structure outlining a figure of Harriet Tubman stands at the site where a statue of Christopher Columbus once stood. Two sloped and offset semi-circular walls surround the metal structure. One of the walls is made of unfinished concrete; on its outer perimeter is a striking relief of Harriet Tubman’s face, assembled like a puzzle. On the inner perimeter are a series of blue tiles featuring varied designs. The other semi-circular wall, known as the Learning Wall, is composed of metal and wood planks. Its outer perimeter features a timeline of Harriet Tubman’s life, while the inner perimeter presents paragraphs of text under the heading Newark’s Black Liberation Heritage.
The central metal structure in anchored to the ground with six vertical metal beams, along with six horizontal beams that extend over the Learning Wall, forming a trellis-like structure representing Tubman’s cloak. At night, a series of ground lights encircle the monument, illuminating the metal structure and trellis, backlighting the Newark’s Black Liberation Heritage text, and highlighting the bench beside the concrete wall.
On-site, the viewer can hear oral histories from members of the Newark community responding to the question, “What is your story of liberation?” as well as Queen Latifah’s narration of Tubman’s stories and Newark’s history. Community members were also invited to carve abstract representations of their narratives into the blue tiles, which appear on the concrete wall alongside their recorded stories.
The central metal structure in anchored to the ground with six vertical metal beams, along with six horizontal beams that extend over the Learning Wall, forming a trellis-like structure representing Tubman’s cloak. At night, a series of ground lights encircle the monument, illuminating the metal structure and trellis, backlighting the Newark’s Black Liberation Heritage text, and highlighting the bench beside the concrete wall.
On-site, the viewer can hear oral histories from members of the Newark community responding to the question, “What is your story of liberation?” as well as Queen Latifah’s narration of Tubman’s stories and Newark’s history. Community members were also invited to carve abstract representations of their narratives into the blue tiles, which appear on the concrete wall alongside their recorded stories.
Creator
John, Nina Cooke, 1973-
Source
Photographs by Renée Ater
Date
March 9, 2023
Contributor
Audible (recorded oral histories; funder); The City of Newark (funder); the Mellon Foundation (funder); and individual residents in partnership with The Newark City Parks Foundation, Newark Arts, The Newark Museum of Art, and the Newark Public Library.
Rights
City of Newark, City Hall, 920 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey, 07102, United States
Relation
Harriet Tubman Monument Project Videos Series, https://vimeo.com/showcase/tubman-monument-newark.
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
Harriet Tubman Square Park, 531 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey, 07102, United States
Has Part
Inscription on the inner perimeter of the metal wall, left to right:
Newark’s Black Liberation Heritage
Newark’s Black community has a long history of activism for liberation. For more than 250 years, free and enslaved Blacks worked for the liberation of themselves and others, building a community of activists and standing up boldly for their civil rights. This work served as the foundation for the political activism and cultural force of today’s Newark.
First Africans in New Jersey
The African presence in New Jersey dates back to the 1600s. The earliest known evidence of enslaved Africans in Newark appears in slave owner Azariah Crane’s will, dated 1721. The earliest documented “self-liberation” in Newark was by a 35-year-old Black man named Charles, who ran away from his enslaver, Emanuel Cocker, in 1748.
Black Soldiers in the Revolution
The American Revolutionary War (1775-83) advanced the ideals of universal human equality but left intact the economic and social underpinnings of slavery. Some enslaved Africans saw the Revolution as an opportunity to advance their individual and community liberation. Jack Cudjo Banquante, a native-born African enslaved by Benjamin Coe of Newark, was the only known Black Newarker to gain his freedom in recognition of his heroism in the Revolutionary War.
Freedom Seekers in New Jersey
Beginning in the early 1800s, fugitive slaves from Southern states increasingly came through New Jersey on their journey to Northern states and Canada, where they hoped to live as free individuals. The Underground Railroad—the secretly organized network of institutions, safe houses, and like-minded Black and White abolitionist activists—operated in several states including New Jersey and assisted individuals in their strategies for freedom.
New Jersey Safe Houses
New Jersey had twelve confirmed safe houses as part of the Underground Railroad. Newark’s known safe house, located at 70 Warren Street, was built in 1830 by Jacob D. King, a leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (the first Black church in Newark) and a founding member of the Colored Anti-Slavery Society of Newark.
Newark’s Black Churches
Newark’s Black religious institutions were multifaceted sites for racial pride, education, community organizing, Underground Railroad activism, and fundraising for Black liberation. In 1849, Frederick Douglass spoke at the Colored Presbyterian Church to promote his newspaper, The North Star, and to rally the city’s vibrant Black abolitionist community for the cause of freedom.
Colored Anti-Slavery Society
The Colored Anti-Slavery Society of Newark was one of the first Black-led anti slavery organizations in the country. Organized in 1834 by local clergy and working-class Blacks, the Society called for an immediate end to slavery in New Jersey and worked tirelessly towards it.
White Abolitionists
Newark-based white abolitionists also fought for the immediate end to slavery. Some, not all, believed that Blacks should have full civil rights here in the United States, while some advocated for a mass relocation of free Blacks to Africa. The goal of the American Colonization Society, for instance, was to gradually settle free Blacks and emancipated slaves in Liberia.
Black Business Owners
Many of the earliest successful Black Newark business owners were important supporters of the Underground Railroad. For instance, it is believed that Black stagecoach owners were essential to the network. Transporting people to New York City and other major towns gave them the cover to assist fugitive slaves on their route to freedom. The goal of the American Colonization Society, for instance, was to gradually settle free Blacks and emancipated slaves in Liberia.
Anti-Abolitionist Interests
In the mid-1800s, Newark’s leaders openly opposed abolitionist calls to federally end slavery, fearing it would destroy the city’s valuable customer base in the South. In 1839, a public meeting chaired by Newark’s mayor and attended by the city’s leading politicians, industrialists, and merchants resolved that the federal government should not intervene in Southern states’ choice to continue slavery, thus preserving their economic and financial interests.
New Jersey Abolished Slavery
In his first act as governor of New Jersey, Marcus L. Ward, a Newark native who lived at 51 Washington Street, secured the state’s ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on January 23, 1866. As the last state in the Union to fully abolish slavery, New Jersey joined its neighbors in supporting the freedom of all Black people.
Newark’s Black Liberation Heritage
Newark’s Black community has a long history of activism for liberation. For more than 250 years, free and enslaved Blacks worked for the liberation of themselves and others, building a community of activists and standing up boldly for their civil rights. This work served as the foundation for the political activism and cultural force of today’s Newark.
First Africans in New Jersey
The African presence in New Jersey dates back to the 1600s. The earliest known evidence of enslaved Africans in Newark appears in slave owner Azariah Crane’s will, dated 1721. The earliest documented “self-liberation” in Newark was by a 35-year-old Black man named Charles, who ran away from his enslaver, Emanuel Cocker, in 1748.
Black Soldiers in the Revolution
The American Revolutionary War (1775-83) advanced the ideals of universal human equality but left intact the economic and social underpinnings of slavery. Some enslaved Africans saw the Revolution as an opportunity to advance their individual and community liberation. Jack Cudjo Banquante, a native-born African enslaved by Benjamin Coe of Newark, was the only known Black Newarker to gain his freedom in recognition of his heroism in the Revolutionary War.
Freedom Seekers in New Jersey
Beginning in the early 1800s, fugitive slaves from Southern states increasingly came through New Jersey on their journey to Northern states and Canada, where they hoped to live as free individuals. The Underground Railroad—the secretly organized network of institutions, safe houses, and like-minded Black and White abolitionist activists—operated in several states including New Jersey and assisted individuals in their strategies for freedom.
New Jersey Safe Houses
New Jersey had twelve confirmed safe houses as part of the Underground Railroad. Newark’s known safe house, located at 70 Warren Street, was built in 1830 by Jacob D. King, a leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (the first Black church in Newark) and a founding member of the Colored Anti-Slavery Society of Newark.
Newark’s Black Churches
Newark’s Black religious institutions were multifaceted sites for racial pride, education, community organizing, Underground Railroad activism, and fundraising for Black liberation. In 1849, Frederick Douglass spoke at the Colored Presbyterian Church to promote his newspaper, The North Star, and to rally the city’s vibrant Black abolitionist community for the cause of freedom.
Colored Anti-Slavery Society
The Colored Anti-Slavery Society of Newark was one of the first Black-led anti slavery organizations in the country. Organized in 1834 by local clergy and working-class Blacks, the Society called for an immediate end to slavery in New Jersey and worked tirelessly towards it.
White Abolitionists
Newark-based white abolitionists also fought for the immediate end to slavery. Some, not all, believed that Blacks should have full civil rights here in the United States, while some advocated for a mass relocation of free Blacks to Africa. The goal of the American Colonization Society, for instance, was to gradually settle free Blacks and emancipated slaves in Liberia.
Black Business Owners
Many of the earliest successful Black Newark business owners were important supporters of the Underground Railroad. For instance, it is believed that Black stagecoach owners were essential to the network. Transporting people to New York City and other major towns gave them the cover to assist fugitive slaves on their route to freedom. The goal of the American Colonization Society, for instance, was to gradually settle free Blacks and emancipated slaves in Liberia.
Anti-Abolitionist Interests
In the mid-1800s, Newark’s leaders openly opposed abolitionist calls to federally end slavery, fearing it would destroy the city’s valuable customer base in the South. In 1839, a public meeting chaired by Newark’s mayor and attended by the city’s leading politicians, industrialists, and merchants resolved that the federal government should not intervene in Southern states’ choice to continue slavery, thus preserving their economic and financial interests.
New Jersey Abolished Slavery
In his first act as governor of New Jersey, Marcus L. Ward, a Newark native who lived at 51 Washington Street, secured the state’s ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on January 23, 1866. As the last state in the Union to fully abolish slavery, New Jersey joined its neighbors in supporting the freedom of all Black people.
Extent
300 in. (762 cm)
Medium
Iron; Concrete; Wood
Bibliographic Citation
Cooke John, Nina. “Harriet Tubman Monument-Studio Cooke John.” Accessed August 13, 2024. https://www.cookejohn.com/harriet-tubman-monument.
Hobson, Janell. "Harriet Tubman's 'Shadow of a Face': New Monument Advances Inclusive History." Ms., March 9, 2023. Accessed May 30, 2025. https://msmagazine.com/2023/03/09/harriet-tubman-monument-newark-nj/.
Nayyar, Rhea. “Harriet Tubman Monument Unveiled in New Jersey.” Hyperallergic, March 9, 2023. Accessed August 14, 2024. https://hyperallergic.com/807193/harriet-tubman-monument-unveiled-in-newark-new-jersey/.
Rights Holder
Renée Ater
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
300 in. (762 cm)
Collection
Citation
John, Nina Cooke, 1973-, “Shadow of a Face: Harriet Tubman Monument (Newark, New Jersey),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 1, 2026, https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1247.