Just as Black History Month ends and right as Women's History Month kicks off, you can see an 11-foot-tall statue of freedom fighter Harriet Tubman in Cincinnati.
The statue is traveling the country to celebrate a set of Harriet Tubman coins by the U.S. Mint. It's currently on the south side of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Born March 6, 1822, Tubman escaped slavery herself in 1849 and then returned to the South to usher at least 70 other people to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
She's also credited as the first woman to lead an armed expedition for the U.S. Army. She led 150 Black Union troops in the Raid on Combahee Ferry against Confederate forces in 1863. That raid rescued 750 enslaved people.
Hamilton County Commission President Alicia Reece says the sculpture — called The Beacon of Hope — is a reminder of the sacrifices Tubman made to free those trapped in slavery.
"She figured out how to come to freedom," Reece said at a ribbon cutting Monday. "Then she did something a whole lot of people would never do — she went back to bring others along."
Freedom Center President and CEO Woodrow Keown says it's appropriate the statue is stopping in Cincinnati. The city was in the first free state many enslaved people set foot in as they escaped the South. The Ohio River the statue looks toward today was the final daunting obstacle to leaving the South behind.
"This statue, which was designed by Wofford Sculpture Studio, is a striking tribute to one of humanity's greatest heroes," he said. "Not just for what she accomplished in her lifetime, but for the hope, progress and change she continues to inspire."
The statue features Tubman climbing above a pile of broken chains. Her right hand reaches up, framed by the North Star. Her left hand reaches out below her as if to lift others up.
The sculpture will be in Cincinnati until April 30.