Shirley Chisholm will soon be honored with a sculpture in Prospect Park, as part of the She Built NYC initiative.
The sculpture memorial will be placed at the entrance of the park, and a design for the piece has finally been selected. Earlier this week, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and women.nyc together announced that the winning design was created by artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan Jeyifous.
Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to congress, and this memorial will be the first of several in the She Built NYC initiative—which honors the women “who helped build and shape” the city.
Called Our Destiny, Our Democracy, the artists behind the piece said:
“Our project celebrates Shirley Chisholm’s legacy as a civil servant who ‘left the door open’ to make room for others to follow in her path toward equity and a place in our country’s political landscape. We have designed a monument in which her iconic visage can be immediately recognizable while also equally portraying the power, beauty, and dimensionality of her contributions to our democracy.”
The inspiring design will still have to go through public review and community input but it is expected to be installed by the end of 2020.
featured image source: Rendering from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs