Groundbreaking for the Mother Jones Memorial Sculpture (IL)
Location
E. Wacker Dr. & N. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL
USA
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About this event
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON, DCASE AND MOTHER JONES HERITAGE PROJECT TO BREAK GROUND ON MOTHER JONES MEMORIAL ON OCT. 28
The statue will honor working people’s struggle for fairness and equality
WHO: Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Alderman Brendan Reilly, Ireland's Chicago Consulate, and Chicago Federation of Labor
WHAT: We invite our generous donors, supporters and media to the groundbreaking for “We Shall Rise,” a bronze statue depicting iconic labor activist Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, who became known for her fearless activism; the sculpture also depicts a child laborer/activist holding a banner
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 28 11 a.m. – brief remarks and program
- Actress Brigid Duffy and 8th grader Logan James Cervantes of Chicago World Language Academy, the young model for the sculpture, will strike the statue’s forthcoming dramatic pose on the site where the memorial will stand.
- The pose echoes Mother Jones’s 1903 march with child workers and her call to “fight like hell for the living.”
WHERE: E. Wacker Dr. & N. Wabash Ave.
Landscaped traffic diverter directly north of 35 E. Wacker Dr.
WHY: Upon completion in Spring 2027, “We Shall Rise” and the Mother Jones Plaza will serve as a lasting tribute to Mother Jones and the generations of working people whose contributions helped shape Chicago’s history.
Our donors and supporters have been patient while we worked through many delays and issues. Our original location, at Chicago's Water Tower, proved to be unworkable for engineering reasons.
We had many other issues that delayed announcing this new site was absolutely assured. So, drum role: It's at Wacker and Wabash in the newly renamed Mother Jones Plaza, near the Chicago Riverwalk, in downtown Chicago, one of the most prominent locations. It will be visible to traffic as well as pedestrian.
The team of Kathleen Farrell, Kathleen Scarboro, and Dante DiBartolomo have sent the sculpture to the foundry. Now months of curing, patina and other parts of the process commence.
Save the Date: May 1, 2027!
The City of Chicago has approved this marker and plaza for a new historic marker, Mother Jones and the 1919 Steel Strike. Mother Jones spoke at Steel Workers Park in 1919. Come see a preview of this marker, in the style of a steel girder, representing Mother Jones' steely determination, and honoring the men and women who struggled to make decent conditions. This highlights Chicago area special role and the fight for free speech and assembly. We are still fundraising. Donate here. We need to raise $20,000 to complete this plaza.
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