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Secondary sourceSculptureinstalled 2006

Statue of Harriet Tubman, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Jane DeDecker · installed 2006

A bronze statue by Jane DeDecker, installed 2006 at the Ypsilanti District Library, depicting Harriet Tubman leading a young boy.

A public statue commemorating Tubman's legacy of leading others to freedom, created long after her death.

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Bronze statue of Harriet Tubman in a wide-brimmed hat and long skirt, holding a walking stick in one hand and leading a young boy by the other hand. The boy looks up at her. A plaque sits at the base, in front of a brick building and iron fence.
Jane DeDecker, statue of Harriet Tubman, installed 2006. Ypsilanti District Library, Michigan.

About this source

What it is

This bronze statue by sculptor Jane DeDecker depicts Harriet Tubman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and long skirt, holding a walking stick and leading a young boy by the hand. It was installed in 2006 outside the Ypsilanti District Library in Michigan, according to the plaque at its base.

Why it matters

As a public monument, the statue reflects how later communities have chosen to remember Tubman — not through a formal portrait, but through an imagined scene of her leading someone to safety, evoking her work guiding people on the Underground Railroad.

Look closer

  • Why might the sculptor have chosen to show Tubman with a child rather than alone?
  • What does placing this statue at a library suggest about its intended message?
  • How might a statue made nearly a century after Tubman's death differ from a portrait made during her lifetime?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Harriet Tubman on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Scan of an 1849 newspaper runaway-slave reward notice headed 'Three Hundred Dollars Reward', offering rewards for three runaways named Harry, Ben and Minty, signed by Eliza Ann Brodess near Bucktown, Dorchester County, Md.Newspaper article

Primary source

Three Hundred Dollars Reward Notice

Eliza Ann Brodess · 3 October 1849

Black-and-white studio portrait of a standing woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar, buttons down the bodice, and a tasseled key at her waist. Her hand rests on a draped chair; a hat and coat lie on a fringed stool, and a draped table stands at left against a plain backdrop with a column.Photograph

Primary source

Harriet Tubman

Harvey B. Lindsley · c. 1871-1876

Scan of a dark brown cloth book cover with a worn, faded light-colored title block at the top left, too faded to read clearly. The rest of the cover is plain, with a visible spine edge along the left side.Book

Secondary source

Harriet, the Moses of Her People

Sarah Bradford · 1886

Sepia carte-de-visite portrait of a seated Black woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar and a light checked skirt, leaning her arm on a spindle chair. Handwritten signature reads Harriet Tubman. Red and cream border.Photograph

Primary source

Carte-de-visite Portrait of Harriet Tubman

Benjamin Powelson · c. 1868-1869

Scanned handwritten General Affidavit form, filled in by hand, with a title printed at top. The text describes a claim for services as nurse and cook in hospitals and as commander of scouts during the Civil War. Signatures of affiants appear at the bottom, including Harriet Tubman's name and her mark.Document

Primary source

General Affidavit of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman · 1898

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