The Harriet Tubman monument in Newark, New Jersey, has officially replaced the space previously held by a Christopher Columbus statue.
On Thursday, the 25-foot-tall monument of Tubman — a women's rights advocate and famous abolitionist leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, — was unveiled at the Harriet Tubman Square section of downtown Newark.
Tubman's great-great-great-grandnieces attended the ceremony, according to ABC7 in Newark.
The "Shadow of a Face" monument, conceived by architect Nina Cooke John, is made of steel extending into a trellis for visitors to walk under.
According to The Hill, a "timeline of Tubman's life and the city's abolitionist history is etched on a circular wall, and an audio narration by Queen Latifah, a Newark native, plays from above."
Tubman was born into slavery in 1822, but escaped at age 27.
In 1844, she married a free Black man, John Tubman, and began helping rescue slaves from enslavement.
Tubman was part of the Underground Railroad, a term that, according to NPS.gov, applied to "the resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, through the end of the Civil War — refers to the efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping bondage. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape."
During her time of helping slaves escape to freedom, Tubman was never captured.
As such, Tubman has an iconic quote from that era, saying, "I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger."
In 2021, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced the city's plans to replace the Columbus statue with the Tubman monument.
This effort coincided with racial justice protests taking place across the country. It also sparked a public demand to take down any statues referencing Columbus or Civil War Confederacy.
"It is only fitting that we memorialize Tubman's heroic efforts leading enslaved Africans to freedom via the Underground Railroad at this time of year when we celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States," Baraka said at the time.
"Ms. John's work of public art will be a symbol of hope and optimism for generations to come, not only for our Newark community, but also for the entire country," added Baraka.
Friday marks the 110th anniversary of Tubman's death.
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