RALPH ELLISON
FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Ralph Ellison
It takes a deep commitment to change and an even deeper commitment to grow.
Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
There is no future for people who deny their past.
Harriet Tubman
Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.
Frederick Douglass
It is easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men.
Duke Ellington
A goal is a dream with a finish line.
The Harlem Stage Treasure Hunt is a self-guided experience which uplifts five statutes in Harlem that pay homage to the enduring legacy of African Americans who fought for liberation and justice through their art and activism. Public monuments are powerful storytelling iconography that can shape our collective understanding of the past and help determine which histories we will continue to preserve and celebrate in the future.
The five statues honor composer, pianist and band leader Duke Ellington, social reformer, abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, politician and Baptist minister Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and novelist and scholar Ralph Ellison are beacons of pride for the Harlem community and its many visitors. The Treasure Hunt is a self-guided discovery of the legacy of each subject and the artists who created them. Enjoy select virtual tours guided by Harlem Historian and architect, John T. Reddick.
John T. Reddick
Marc Cary
Award winning musician, composer, producer and educator Marc Cary has been commissioned to compose an 8 minute and forty-six second piece of music amplifying Harlem’s continued legacy of a community committed to the liberation of Black People. The length of the composition is in honor of the memory of George Floyd.
Eight. Forty. Six. (8:46) Is the elapsed time Minneapolis, MN police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on unarmed African American citizen George Floyd’s neck on May 25, 2020; during the covid-19 pandemic, causing Mr. Floyds death. This public execution sparked mass protest locally, nationally and internationally. In addition to challenging police brutality, protestors began questioning the value of public statues of slave holders and colonizers. Are statues honoring people who invoke the truth about our humanity? How do they help us interpret history? The toppling of statues of slave traders and colonizer’s Robert E. Lee in Montgomery, Alabama and Edward Colston in Bristol, UK demonstrates communities’ ability to mobilize and reclaim public space. The project is an homage to the disrupters and freedom fighters.
Curated by Monique Martin
Music by Marc Cary
Words by Shariff Simmons
Marc Cary , Fender Rhodes and synthesizers
Shariff Simmons, words
Tarik Shaw, bass
Vernon Reid, guitar
Ahmad Cary, vocals
Diego Joaquin Rameriz, drums