About the Book

New York City is blessed with an incredible array of public sculptures. One overlooked aspect of this collection is its monuments of Black Americans, each with its own remarkable story. The first appearance of a Black person in a city monument came in the Civil War Soldiers’ Monument in Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery in 1876, but this was a nameless symbolic figure. It wasn’t until 1945 that Booker T. Washington became the first identifiable Black American honored in a New York City monument. In 2007, the city dedicated its first monument to a Black woman, Harriet Tubman. Behind every first is a story of triumph over adversity and exclusion. Local author David Felsen reveals the stories behind thirty inspiring monuments that have endured, as well as how they found their place in the city’s history. With foreword by the poet Sonia Sanchez. 
 

Guiding Questions for NYC Monuments of Black Americans (1-15)  and Suggested Reading
 
Chapter 1 Soldiers Monument in Green-Wood Cemetery
 

1. What story did the four bas-relief plaques at the base of the monument tell? 

2. What role did the Black man in the bas-relief play? 

3. What is the significance of what is left out of the monument and the dedication ceremony? 

4. Compare and contrast the 1876 dedications of the Soldier's Monuments in Brooklyn, NY and Holyoke, Mass?

5. Based on the inscription, what does the monument suggest was the primary purpose of the Civil War, and how does the portrayal of the unnamed Black man support or complicate that narrative?

 
Chapter 2 Henry Ward Beecher Monument
 

1. Describe the artist John Quincy Adams Ward's approach to portrait statues?  

2. How did Henry Ward Beecher earn his reputation as a leader of the abolition movement? 

3. What role do the children at the base of the statue play in the symbolic language of the monument? 

4. Explain the significance of Reverend W.T. Dixon, a Black minister, being seated among the dignitaries at the dedication?

 
Chapters 3 Navy Group, Soldiers' and Sailor's Memorial Arch
 

1. What does the position of the Black sailor suggest about the social status of Black Americans in 1901?

2. Why was Reverend E.W. McCarty’s mention of the "ugly stain of slavery" considered a significant departure from the other speeches?

3. The text highlights the gallantry of Black sailors like Joachim Pease. Why might the author include the story of an actual hero like Pease when discussing a monument that features only an anonymous, symbolic sailor?

4. Art historian Freeman Murray called the figure "MacMonnies’ Black Hero." Why does the author suggest he saw the mere inclusion of a Black figure in a public monument as a "success"? Consider why Murray might have a different perspective if he were alive today? 

 Chapter 4 Africa, The Four Continents
 

1. Daniel Chester French described Africa as a "slumbering continent" and a "stagnant pool." How do the physical details of the statue visually communicate his belief?

2. What was the City Beautiful Movement and what was its aim? 

3. What do the representations of the Four Continents tell us about racial attitudes in 1906? 

4. Why did Freeman Murray praise Africa as "noble," despite its flaws? What does Murray’s "relieved" reaction reveal about American society in 1916? 

 
Chapter 5 Carl Schurz Memorial
 

1. What does the dedication of the Schurz Memorial in 1913 reveal about German Americans at that time?

2. How does the archaic bas relief represent emancipation? 

3. How would you characterize the representation of the Black characters in the statue? 

4. The inscription on the memorial describes Schurz as a "Defender of Liberty and a Friend of Human Rights." Evaluate this statement?

5. Consider an alternative design for an Emancipation monument?

 
Chapter 6 Henry Ward Beecher 

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1. What other work is the sculptor Gutzon Borglum known for? 

2. Who were the young women at the base of the Beecher statue? Why do you suppose there was no mention of them in the inscription or the coverage of the dedication? 

3. Compare and contrast the 1891 Beecher monument (Chapter 2) to the 1914 version.

4. Which aspects of the Edmonson sisters' story stand out most to you?  

 

Chapter 7 Marquis de Lafayette Memorial
 

1. Why is there a statue honoring a French aristocrat in Brooklyn's Prospect Park?

2. Who was James Armistead Lafayette? 

3. What argument does the author make to support his claim that the man holding the horse is not James Armistead Lafayette?

4. Does knowing that the man holding the horse was not James Armistead Lafayette change your opinion of it? 

5. How might you honor James Armistead Lafayette? 

 
Chapter 8 Cotton, Industries of the British Empire
 

1. What story were the statues, reliefs and murals in Rockefeller Center meant to convey and how did Cotton fit into this narrative?

2. Whose stories were not included in Rockefeller Center and why? 

3. What does the author suggest about the sculptor Carl Jennewein's personal history and its impact on Cotton?

4. How might one honor enslaved women   

 
Chapter 9 Man, the Provider and Woman, the Mother and Housekeeper

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1. How were the Harlem River Houses a reflection of New York's changing demographics and culture during the depression? 

2. In what ways are these statues different from ones you've learned about so far in this book?

3. What role did the government play in the creation of these statues? 

4. How did the all-Black Harlem Housing Committee respond to the initial design of Man, the Provider. What does their reaction tell you about American society in 1938?

5. What impact does the author suggest these statues had on their community? 

 

Chapter 10 Exodus and Dance Monument

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1. Who was Richmond Barthé, and what made him unusual for his time? 

2. What were the influences on Barthé's design? 

3. Why was Barthé unhappy about the location of the Monument?

4. In 2025, the New York City Housing Authority spent $1.8 million to restore Exodus and Dance. Was it worth the expense?
    

Chapter 11 Colonel William Hayward Memorial 

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1. Who were the Harlem Rattlers?

2. Explain the irony of the Rattlers fighting to make the world "safe for democracy" 

3. Compare and contrast the representation of the Rattlers in the Hayward Memorial to monuments from earlier chapters?

4. What might have been a more fitting memorial for the Rattlers? 

 

Chapter 12 Booker T. Washington Monument

 

1. What was the Hall of Fame for Great Americans? 

2. Who was Booker T. Washington? Why was his selection to the Hall significant?  

3. Why does the author suggest that Booker T. was chosen for the Hall over other Civil Rights Leaders like Frederick Douglass? 

4. Controversial busts of Confederates Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were removed from the Hall of Fame by Governor Cuomo in 2017. Do you agree with the decision to remove them? 

 

Chapter 13 Lincoln and Child Monument

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1. What was the purpose of the Lincoln and Child Monument in the Lincoln Houses? 

2. What does the author suggest was significant about the presence of a Black child in the monument?

3. Compare and contrast this statue of Lincoln with others in New York City or around the country?

4. What does the fact that the sculptor Charles Keck did statues of both Lincoln and Confederates suggest about him? Can we judge him for doing both? 

 
Chapter 14 Coast Guard Memorial

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1. What inspired the artist, Norman Thomas, to include an African American in the Coast Guard Memorial? 

2. Compare and contrast the Coast Guard Memorial with other monuments in New York and beyond which include Black Americans?

3. Why do you suppose it took so long for the Coast Guard to describe the monument as "interracial"? 

4. Evaluate the claim made by some critics that the representation of the Black soldier upholds the racial hierarchy of 1950s. .

 

Chapter 15 George Washington Carver as a Boy Statue 

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1. What contributions did George Washington Carver make to science?

2. Explain Carver's stance on Civil Rights?  

3. Describe the sculptor Robert Amendola's concept and inspiration for the Young George Washington Carver Monument? 

4. How does the Young George Washington Carver monument reflect the demography of New York City?