Facing the steady Ohio river at the edge of Cincinnati Downtown lies a small Riverfront Park, named after John G. & Phyllis W. On Sunday 27, June, the Woman's City Club of Greater Cincinnati made a new addition to the sight. A Statue of Marian Spencer playing with three children. The interactive design of Marian's statue on one side holds hands with children, and on the other side extends a free palm towards you.
Born on June 28, 1920, Marian Spencer was the first Black woman to be elected to the Cincinnati City Council. She served as the vice Mayor and fought for the desegregation of Coney Island and YWCA summer campus and pools nationwide. She was also the first Black president of the Woman's City Club of Greater Cincinnati in 1970. Club member and Marian Spencer Statue Committee Chair Alice Schneider proposed the sculpture in 2019, but Spencer died later that year at age 99. Then, due to the pandemic, the inauguration got delayed further. Still, finally, around her 101st birthday, they are ready to present her sculpture to the citizens of Cincinnati.
The club, along with 300 donors, joined their efforts to pay their respects to their old friend, and the history of African American Heritage of Cincinnati, in the form of the statue. They raised about $175,000, surpassing the goal of $125,000. Much of the donations came in small sizes from the people who knew Spencer.
Gina Erardi and Tom Tsuchiya built the statue and carved the words "Hold Hands and Unite" at the base to join people with Marian's legacy and continue her fight.
The evening opens with a Japanese-African fusion Drum performed by April Culbreath, filling the crowd with excitement. As the audience settles, Host Courtis Fuller begins acknowledging and thanking several significant people associated with the moment. He passed the mic along to several speakers to share their feelings, including Cincinnati Council Member Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, Son Edward Spencer, & Hamilton County Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas. The evening was also graced with
a heartfelt musical performance of Wind Beneath My Wings by Kathy Wade.
The event was essential for many people. Edward flew from California despite the risk of Covid-19 but said, "Blood drew me here." For some, it was a way to remember an old friend, and for many, it was an opportunity to be part of history. Holding hands with people that crossed their paths with Marian Spencer, in a way, send her light in our direction too. Along with the statue at Riverfront, several other locations hold a reflection of her. Recently the University of Cincinnati constructed a new dormitory and named it after her to honor their alumni's memory. Even a street is named after her. However, Still, the addition at the Riverfront is Cincinnati's first woman statue. In the middle of the pandemic and emergence of black life matters protest, it is terrific to rethink the values Marian Spencer taught us and step ahead as a society in the right direction in her famous words ‘Keep Fighting’.
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