First feminist Emancipation statue by an African American, created by Edmonia Lewis.
On February 1, 1866, Edmonia Lewis unveiled Freedwoman and Her Child, a sculpture revered as the first feminist Emancipation statue created by an African American. The work depicted a Black mother and her child, symbolizing hope and the newfound freedom post-emancipation, vividly capturing the historic essence of liberty. Crafted amid the tumultuous Reconstruction era, it reflected the enduring struggle for racial equality and captured the spirit of freedom at a time of enormous racial upheaval.