Historic San Diego statue in Black community to be restored
The late Rossie Wade created the statue titled "The Black Family," which depicts a family of four reaching out to the sky, in 1974.
After nearly two years of advocacy for its restoration, a historic statue in San Diego’s Black neighborhood will be revamped to its former beauty.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that area residents joined California Assemblymember Akilah Weber at “The Black Family” monument in Mountain View Park on Tuesday, where she outlined the $195,000 in state funds she helped the city acquire to reconstruct the landmark.
“It is truly because of the community,” Weber said, “[that] we are able to stand here today.”
The late Rossie Wade created “The Black Family,” which depicts a family of four reaching out to the sky in Mountain View Park, in 1974 while a resident artist at the nearby San Diego Community College’s Educational Cultural Complex.
Wade’s daughter, Carole Wade Boyce, described the sculpture as a gift to the community and a reflection of its strength and solidarity in the face of adversity.
Today, all that remains of the six-foot monument is a rusted plaque in front of a barren brick base. Although neighborhood members tried to scrape away any graffiti whenever vandals defaced it throughout the years, the weather eventually destroyed the artwork.
In recent years, Boyce has been collaborating with Jeffrey Hayes, the chair of the Mountain View Coalition, to campaign for a replacement.
The statue’s restoration is part of the city’s approximately $25 million in state funding this year for “critically important projects in San Diego communities.”
Mayor Todd Gloria expressed gratitude to Weber for ensuring the monument symbolizes cultural and communal pride for future generations.
“The statue was one place in the community where Black families could see themselves in public art in a positive light,” Gloria said. “Our art is not erased, our culture is not erased, and our families must remain strong and diligent.”
The project will include designing, constructing, transporting, lighting and installing a replica of the original sculpture and base.
The city’s website notes that Mountain View Park was dedicated in 1914, making it one of San Diego’s first parks. Since the 1960s, it has been a significant resource and gathering place for the predominantly Black neighborhood, hosting an array of popular events such as auto exhibitions, as well as youth sports leagues.
“An ideal that comes close to the one of [a] family is community,” Boyce said on Tuesday, the Union-Tribune reported. “This park has been a community beacon for decades and was a haven for family picnics, celebrations and concert events.”
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