18-06-2025
First look: Philadelphia's Sadie Alexander statue designs
Philly has unveiled five finalists' design proposals for the planned statue of civil rights activist Sadie Alexander.
Why it matters: It would be the second statue of a historic African American woman figure in the city's public art collection.
Context: Alexander, born in 1898, was a Philadelphian who broke barriers in academia and law.
She was the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in economics in the U.S., and the first Black woman to graduate from Penn's Law School.
Plus: She was a founding member of Philly's Commission on Human Relations and the first Black woman to serve as the city's assistant solicitor.
Flashback: The city launched its plans for a statue of Alexander late last year.
Zoom in: An online survey, where you can rank your favorite designs and provide feedback, is open through July 9.
A selection committee will use the survey results and other criteria to select a winner at the end of July.
Installation of the statue is expected to start this fall or late 2026.
The design options:
Vinnie Bagwell's "The First Lady of the Law: Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander"
Rayvenn Shaleigha D'Clark's "Democracy's Battle Cry"
Tanda Francis' design
Alvin Pettit's "The Face of Resilience"
Team Wilson, Honzo and Hayes' proposal
