When the new Harriet Tubman sculpture is unveiled this fall, many of the newly laid bricks in the plaza on which she will stand will bear the names of former enslaved Dorchester County residents, as well as supporters who made this project possible. Members of the public can make a lasting tribute in honor of Harriet Tubman’s legacy – and to family, the community and local heritage – through the new brick fundraising campaign sponsored by Alpha Genesis Community Development Corp.

Commemorative bricks purchased now will be installed in time for the sculpture unveiling. They can be ordered from bricksrus.com/donorsite/harrietsjourneyhome. Funds raised from the sale of the bricks will support the installation of the sculpture and the accompanying plaza and landscaping in front of the Dorchester County Courthouse, said Adrian Holmes, president of Alpha Genesis CDC.

“We invite you to have your name engraved in history and be a part of Harriet’s story,” Holmes said. “Join us in Welcoming Harriet Home and honoring our local heritage and Tubman’s legacy by purchasing one or more commemorative bricks. This opportunity will enable us to leave an everlasting display of pride and commitment to our community that will endure for a lifetime.”

The celebration to Welcome Harriet Home on Sept. 10 will feature the unveiling of “A Beacon of Hope,” an inspiring 12-foot bronze sculpture of Harriet Tubman, designed and created by Wesley Wofford, the Emmy- and Academy-award winning sculptor who created the traveling Harriet statue that visited Cambridge in 2020.

The unveiling marks the culmination of two years of community grassroots fundraising and activities to create and install the permanent sculpture at the Dorchester County Courthouse, a place where enslaved ancestors were auctioned and Tubman’s niece was rescued. The event, in conjunction with the bicentennial of her birth, will highlight the Fourth Annual Day of Resilience remembrance.

“While the heart of this year’s Day of Resilience will be the unveiling of the sculpture, we plan a weekend of programming and activities that will serve to support and elevate awareness of Harriet Tubman’s legacy and promote greater appreciation of the significant role that she played in Dorchester and U.S. history,” Holmes said. “Welcoming Harriet home will continue building connections for the local community and for the thousands of visitors who come to Maryland to experience the most powerful Underground Railroad storytelling destination in the world.”

The bronze sculpture is rich in symbolism – from the shackles embedded in the base to its orientation northward. Likewise, the plaza on which the sculpture will stand is especially meaningful, Holmes said, because the commemorative bricks will be engraved with the names of former enslaved residents of Dorchester County. Supporters can purchase a brick in their honor.

Donors also can purchase bricks that are customized to include their own family name, business name or organization’s name. Bricks can be engraved in honor of someone special; in a loved one's memory; celebration of a birth, graduation, wedding or anniversary; or in honor of a soldier or veteran.

Bricks are available in two sizes and are priced depending on their location in the plaza. Large 8”x8” bricks, which are closest to the sculpture, are $1,500 or $1,000. Standard size 4”x8” bricks are $100 or $200. Bricks will be sold until all spaces are filled.

To order a brick online, visit the website at bricksrus.com/donorsite/harrietsjourneyhome.

For more information about Alpha Genesis, visit alphagenesiscdc.org/.

To make a general donation to the sculpture project or Alpha Genesis, visit alphagenesiscdc-bloom.kindful.com/.