On Saturday at 10 a.m., the Ithaca Historic Statues Steering Committee, in collaboration with the City of Ithaca, Southside Community Center, Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), and esteemed sculptor Meredith Bergmann, will join elected officials and community partners to celebrate the unveiling of two new statues. These statues, created by Bergmann, honor Frances Perkins and Lucy J. Brown, both of whom were champions of social justice and trailblazers who paved the way for future generations.
Frances Perkins, the first female U.S. Cabinet Secretary and a key architect of the New Deal, also served as a professor at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Lucy J. Brown devoted her life to advancing racial justice, educational equity, and affordable housing in Ithaca. The opening ceremony will begin in the parking lot behind Breckenridge Place (100 W Seneca St), where Perkins’ statue will be unveiled.
Speakers at the event will include Dr. Alexander Colvin, Dean of Cornell’s ILR School; Sarah Peskin, Board Member and Chair Emerita of the Frances Perkins Center; and Tomlin Coggeshall, Perkins’ grandson and Board Member of the Frances Perkins Center. Additionally, more than a dozen Telluride Alumni who lived with Perkins will be present. Also on hand will be State Senator Lea Webb; Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo; Tompkins County Legislature Chairman Daniel Klien, and sculptor Meredith Bergmann
Following the unveiling of Perkins’ statue, a procession featuring local community organizations and leaders will make its way to the historic Henry St. John building (301 S Geneva St.), where Lucy J. Brown’s statue will be unveiled. Speakers for this portion of the event include community activist Ken Glover; Rev. Mabel Welch of St. James A.M.E. Zion Church; and Louise Brown Harris, daughter of Lucy Brown.
After the unveiling, the Southside Community Center will host a celebration in honor of Lucy J. Brown at the Henry St. John location, with Brown herself expected to be in attendance.
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