Most recently, a Maryland board approved the contract to put statues of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass adorned in bronze, in the historic landmark of the Maryland State House.
According to the WJLA, , The Board of Public Works voted 3-0 for the $575,000 contract for the statues of the Maryland-born eradicators.
“The Maryland State House tells the story of our state and our country… there has been a critical component missing inside the walls of the State House: the important contributions of African-Americans to that story. These statues will fill that missing gap and I’m pleased to see this project moving forward,” says Michael Busch (Maryland House of Delegates Speaker).
Furthermore, Douglass and Tubman were born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the 19th-century. Both born into slavery, they escaped their circumstances and became the pioneers for the abolition of slavery though the Underground Railroad ( by Tubman) and diplomacy and literature ( by Douglass).
In addition, House delegate R. Julian Ivey suggested that the board delay the contract due to a lack of minority business associated with the deal. The contract with The Christmas Company, (based in Sterling, Virginia) calls for completing the work within a year and half.
The Statues are set to stand in The Old House of Delegates Chamber.
