Exact Metrology Helps Create Statue of Civil Rights Activist
A statue honoring Cincinnati civil rights activist Marian Spencer is underway. While Cincinnati already has several mythical representations of women, this would be the first statue of a real woman. Spencer was the first African American woman elected to Cincinnati City Council (1983) and the first female president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP (1981). She led the campaign to desegregate Coney Island swimming pools in the 1950s when her children were denied entry based on their skin color. Her subsequent lawsuit lead to integration. In addition, Spencer also fought to desegregate Cincinnati public schools. Spencer passed away this year at 99.
Earlier this year, Alicia Schneider, the Committee Chair of the Women’s City Club, approached Spencer’s friend and biographer, Dot Christensen and asked her if Spencer would like to have a statue made in her honor. Marian Spencer supported the idea. The Women’s City Club set up a Spencer Statue Fund at Fifth Third Bank. The group hopes to raise $125,000.