The Fourth Annual Day of Resilience on Sept. 10 will feature a very special and significant highlight – the unveiling of the Beacon of Hope, an inspiring, 13-foot bronze sculpture honoring Harriet Tubman in conjunction with the bicentennial of her birth. Alpha Genesis Community Development Corp., which is organizing the event, is reaching out to the community with opportunities to be a part of this historic occasion.
Rendering Tubman Sculpture
“The heart of the Day of Resilience this year will be the unveiling of the new, permanent sculpture,” said Adrian Holmes, director of Alpha Genesis. “Governor Larry Hogan has proclaimed 2022 ‘The Year of Harriet Tubman,’ and we are planning a weekend of programming and activities that will serve to support and elevate awareness of her legacy and promote greater appreciation of the significant role that she played in Dorchester and U.S. history.
“We are preparing a multi-day program that includes commemorations, reflections, round-table discussions on current events and issues, entertainment, presentations from renowned guest speakers and historians, Underground Railroad Byway tours, a time capsule to mark the occasion, as well as special guests, including Tubman’s descendants.”
The Day of Resilience was first held in 2019 in Cambridge to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. That event received gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional citations and received the Outstanding Heritage Project Award from the Heart of Chesapeake Country Heritage Area. The event has grown every year since then, and in 2020, the observance was highlighted by the unveiling of a traveling sculpture of Harriet Tubman.
Motivated by the community response to the traveling sculpture, Alpha Genesis led the grassroots drive to have the permanent Harriet Tubman statue created specifically for Dorchester County. It will be installed at the Dorchester County Courthouse, a place where enslaved ancestors were auctioned and Tubman’s niece was rescued.
Rendering Tubman Sculpture
The timing for this year’s event – 200 years after Harriet’s birth – presents an extraordinary opportunity for sharing Tubman’s legacy, as well as community involvement. There are several opportunities for individuals, business and organizations to be part of this historic endeavor; however, the deadlines to participate are quickly approaching. Supporters can:
- Purchase one of the engraved bricks for the plaza surrounding the statue. Large bricks range in price are $500, $1,000 or $1,500, depending on their proximity to the sculpture, and smaller bricks are also $100 or $200. Large bricks have room for engraving a business or organization’s logo. Bricks must be purchased by July 1. For more information and to purchase visit bricksrus.com/donorsite/harrietsjourneyhome
- Be a Day of Resilience Event Sponsor. Silver or Gold sponsors will receive a “Beacon” for their business to display their support, as well as have their business logo featured on signage and in the Day of Resilience program. For more information: alphagenesiscdc.org/
- Place an ad in the souvenir, commemorative program book for the Day of Resilience. Program ads are $40 (1/8 page, 3.75” x 2.5”), $75 (quarter page, 3.7”5 x 5”), $150 (half page, 7.5” x 5”), $300 (full page, 7.5”x 10”). Ads must be received by July 10. For more information: alphagenesiscdc.org/
- Be a Friend of the Day of Resilience. For $20, supporters will have their names listed on the “Friends” page in the commemorative program book. July 10 is the deadline for donations, which may be sent using Cash App to $AlphaGenesisCDC.
- Sponsor the Bike the Underground Railroad, which is raising funds for statue landscaping/maintenance, as well as outreach and education. Sponsor logos will appear on event signage and t-shirts. Logos vary in size depending on the level of support: $100 (or value of in-kind support, such as contributions of food for the event), $250, $500 or $750. For more information: biketheugrr.com/
For more information about Alpha Genesis or the Day of Resilience, visit: alphagenesiscdc.org/
To make a general donation to the sculpture project or Alpha Genesis, visit: alphagenesiscdc-bloom.kindful.com/
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