AKRON, Ohio — As the 171st anniversary of Sojourner’s Truth’s historic “Ain’t I a Woman?” Speech in Akron at the 1851 Ohio Women’s Convention approaches on May 29, a committee that is organizing a statue in her honor said there will now be a public plaza to remember the trailblazer.
Toward Mullins, who serves on the committee of the Sojourner Truth Project, said there was such a positive and enthusiastic response from the community that plans to honor the trailblazing women’s rights and civil rights icon will now comprise of a plaza with educational signage and spaces for relaxation and contemplation.
"Truth Plaza will honor Akron’s place in the history of women’s rights and voting rights and serve as an inspiration for generations to come,” said Mullins.
Last year, News 5 took a closer look at her electrifying speech. Watch the story in the media player below:
The space for the plaza was donated by the United Way of Summit and Medina. It will be located on North High Street, a site adjacent to where Truth spoke more than 150 years ago.
Jim Mullen, CEO of the United Way, presented the latest design concept during a meeting last month, and Mullins said the over 800 attendees gave a “collective gasp of delight upon seeing the site plans.”
Summit County Metroparks’ landscaper Dion Harris is the lead designer for the plaza project. The originally commissioned statue, created by internationally recognized Akron sculptor Woodrow Nash, will be the focal point of the space.
Mullins said groundbreaking for the site will take place as early as this summer with a completion date set for late 2023.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
