Which Harriet Tubman Statue Is Right for Philadelphia?

Renderings of what two of the proposed Harriet Tubman statues might look like in Philadelphia (Images via City of Philadelphia)

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Which Harriet Tubman Statue Is Right for Philadelphia?

Why is it so hard to honor abolitionist Harriet Tubman? There have been plans to put her face on the front of the $20 bill since 2016. But there’s still no Harriet Tubman $20 bill. And it doesn’t sound like we’ll see any until 2030.

Here in Philadelphia, we’ve had our own Harriet Tubman saga.

In January 2022, city officials unveiled a temporary Harriet Tubman statue on the apron of City Hall. That temporary statue was supposed to lead to a permanent commission. But then we learned that the artist, who was going to get $500,000, was some white dude. And we also learned that the sculpture came about without an open-bidding process. So the city scrapped that plan.

But things are now looking up.

The city has now chosen five potential designs, all by Black artists, and officials want to know which you think is the right Harriet Tubman statue for Philadelphia.

Here are all of the candidates:

For more information on each candidate, including bios on the artists as well as titles for each piece, and to cast your vote, go here. You have until September 1st to weigh in.

Local Talent

I knew that Patti LaBelle’s pies and other foods were popular at Walmart, as we discussed in this interview earlier in the year. But I was a little shocked to learn that she’s now sold close to $200 million of those foods. Forbes just featured the Gladwyne resident on its 50 Over 50 list.

And yesterday, I had a little fun with Adam Joseph and 6 ABC’s usage of “down at the shore” instead of the more common Phillyspeak “down the shore.” But in less silly Adam Joseph news, 6 ABC ran a special segment on Monday night about Joseph donating blood for the first time now that the FDA has (finally) lifted restrictions on gay and bisexual men.

By the Numbers

135,000: Approximate number of power outages reported throughout the region as a result of Monday night’s powerful storms.

4: Passengers injured when a car crashed into a SEPTA trolley in West Philly. It turns out the driver of that car was an off-duty SEPTA employee. It also turns out that said off-duty SEPTA employee was allegedly drunk at the time of the crash.

$97,402: What one South Jersey woman just won on a penny slot machine at Live Casino in South Philly. Not a bad ROI.

And from the Stormy-Weather Sports Desk …

The Phillies wound up canceling last night’s game against the Nats rather than confront possible outfield tornadoes. They’ll play a doubleheader today instead, with first pitches at 4:05 and 7:05. BTW, if you’re a big Whiz Wit’ fan …

Citizens Bank Park is in the running for USA Today’s Best Ballpark Eats category! Voting ends Monday, August 21 – and you can vote every day! Winners will be announced on Friday, September 1, at 12:00 p.m. EDT.

Vote here: https://t.co/f9n7iSsRpW pic.twitter.com/8Fb9TrVQgT

— Citizens Bank Park (@PhilliesCBP) August 7, 2023

And in Doop News …

And the Union, in the sport that’s never supposed to be afraid of the weather? Their bout with the New York Red Bulls at Subaru Park in the Round of 16 in the Leagues Cup, also scheduled for last night, will be tonight instead, 8 p.m. kickoff. Let this tide you over.

A big ick is when someone doesn’t know what a #DOOP is 🙄 pic.twitter.com/d3TyOWItdB

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) August 6, 2023

Um. “Hotel butter”? Okay …

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.