The San Francisco Arts Commission recently unveiled a new monument dedicated to honoring the acclaimed, legendary writer and poet Dr. Maya Angelou.
Unveiled on Thursday, the monument, created by artist Lava Thomas, features a portrait of Angelou with her famous quote, “Still I Rise,” placed in marble below it. Mimicking a book, the 9-foot-tall bronze monument, titled “Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman,” is now on display at the San Francisco Public Library’s main branch.
At the unveiling ceremony, members of Angelou’s family were present, along with San Francisco Mayor London Breed. Her niece Rosa Johnson Butler and her grandson Elliott Jones were there to present the artwork to the public.
With its latest unveiling, “Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman” has become the first public monument in San Francisco to honor a Black woman.
Although the city’s governmental staff passed an ordinance in 2018 that said that a minimum of 30% of public art projects unveiled need to represent real women, only two artworks depicting real women, in general, existed before the new Angelou monument. Meanwhile, 62 others existed depicting men.
“Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman” by artist Lava Thomas was unveiled today at the Main Library. This is the first monument commemorating a Black woman in San Francisco’s Civic Art Collection & we are so honored to be a part of this historic moment! pic.twitter.com/IEkDvumzDe
— SF Public Library (@SFPublicLibrary) September 19, 2024
Thomas first proposed her idea for the Angelou monument in 2019. Although it was initially approved, the plan for the monument faced some roadblocks when Supervisor Catherine Stefani rejected the approval, claiming the idea wasn’t “traditional.” Stefani then agreed to accept it, issuing a formal apology alongside Mayor Breed for her previous ruling.
“‘Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman’ has been a labor of love over the past few years and its upcoming installation has been a long time coming,” said Thomas in a statement when the monument was first announced. “My hope for this monument is that it is a beacon for the ideals that defined Dr. Maya Angelou’s life: courage, faith, justice, perseverance, artistic freedom and triumph over trauma. It is an extraordinary honor and privilege to commemorate the remarkable life and legacy of Dr. Angelou.”
Also a civil rights activist, Angelou is considered to be one of the literary world’s most acclaimed writers.
Known for works such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and “Just Give me a Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie,” she has been honored with a variety of achievements, including the National Medal of Arts, over 30 honorary degrees, the Presidental Medal of Freedom and a Pulitzer Prize nomination. She has also been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in recognition of her outstanding work.
Most recently, Angelou also became the first Black woman to be depicted on a quarter as part of the inaugural American Women Quarters issue.
