Newark renames popular gathering place after Harriet Tubman in Juneteenth commemoration

NEWARK, N.J. — Newark is commemorating Juneteenth by renaming a popular gathering place after a famous abolitionist. 

As CBS2’s Christina Fan reports, Washington Park will now be known as Harriet Tubman Square.

The city plans to unveil a monument honoring Tubman and New Jersey’s role in the Underground Railroad in the next few months.  

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said Monday’s dedication was important because of the lack of representation in civic public art. 

Following calls for racial justice, the city officially renamed Washington Park as Harriet Tubman Square after the abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad.

The city also created the Newark Arts and Education District to mark Juneteenth. The area will include parks, galleries and restaurants, celebrating institutions that contribute to cultural vibrancy. 

“Cultural districts matter, and they make a difference because of their multidimensional values, especially when those values are defined by equity, sustainability and flexibility. Art is often thought of as a great connector, bringing together different cultures, neighborhoods… Art speaks to new possibilities and a better future.”

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned from the Union Army they had been liberated — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The new statue of Harriet Tubman will be unveiled in the fall. It will serve as the centerpiece of the park, replacing a statue of Christopher Columbus that was removed by the city back in 2020.