
Marian Spencer statue: Cincinnati to honor city’s first Black female councilmember
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A new statue to be unveiled Sunday honors Marian Spencer, the first Black woman to be elected to the Cincinnati City Council.
The words “hold hands and unite” are written at the base of the sculpture, Tsuchiya said.
Woman’s City Club member and Marian Spencer Statue Committee Chair Alice Schneider proposed the statue in 2019. Spencer died later that year at age 99.
“There was no statue of a named woman in Cincinnati, so we wanted a statue of a woman who would exemplify the virtues and issues of the city and be an example to show young people how to get things accomplished,” Schneider said.
She told WCPO the committee charged with raising funds for the project ended up raising about $175,000, passing the goal of $125,000 with much of that coming from small donations from people who knew Spencer.
The coronavirus pandemic delayed the unveiling by a year, according to the affiliate.
Cincinnati Council Member Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, who knew Spencer personally, said, “She really believed in justice and her whole life was about fighting for justice. But she did it in a way that made people love her and really want to work with her.”
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