The statue was commissioned by the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati and created by artists Gina Erardi and Tom Tsuchiya as the 1st statue of a woman in Cincinnati; the woman being Marian Spencer. This statue is situated near the National Underground Railroad Freedom center, and overlooks the boundary between the North and South. Spencer was a civil rights activist, nicknamed “Ms. Civil Rights”, politician and Vice Mayor of the Cincinnati City Council. Furthermore being the first Black female member of the Cincinnati City council, she broke racial and gender barriers. Marian Spencer worked extensively to end racial and gender prejudice in Cincinnati public schools and other public areas around Cincinnati. A statue in Smale park, built in 2021, depicts her holding the hand of a girl while inviting the visitor with her other hand, indicating the theme “Hold Hands and Unite”. This quote celebrates her values of unity and equality. Moreover, Marian’s final words to her son was “You don’t owe anything to anybody”: Her words were a reminder to always follow your purpose and to never be ashamed of who you are. Marian’s statue is a reminder of her immeasurable contributions to our society, and how she still empowers the younger generations to this day. The statue was dedicated to her life long actions on June 27, 2021, which would have been her 101st birthday.