Slowly but surely, southwest Michigan’s Twin Cities remain are moving forward on the path toward civic unity.
The project to design and install two companion monuments to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph is set to be completed by June 2024, The Unified Civic Monuments Project announced Monday.
The first-of-its-kind Twin Cities project started as an idea in the minds of Benton Harbor’s African American History and Literature Gallery founders Mack and Sharon Brown about 15 years ago. The two cities have been working on the project since 2020.
In a release, project leaders said the monuments will be the country’s only collaborative, twin cities’ public art project commemorating Dr. King.
“This will be a source of benefit to the entire community,” said Mack Brown.
Each city’s monument site and design have been approved and reflect input from community members and municipal leaders.
The Benton Harbor Monument
Per a release from project leaders, Dr. King will welcome visitors and residents to the City of Benton Harbor at the entrance to Dwight Pete Mitchell City Center Park, facing Main Street. His life-sized figure will preside over a table, arms outstretched, encouraging all to join the conversation about social justice.
The concept is “At the Table of Brotherhood,” and the design includes a second figure of a young Black boy pushing a chair up to the table.
The design for the Benton Harbor monument was approved by the city commission in December 2022.
“It took hard work, but we pulled it off,” said Benton Harbor Commissioner and project co-chair Edward Isom, during the Mar. 28 St. Joseph City Commission Meeting. “The main thing I love about this project is the unity. … These two cities can come together and unite, and this project is doing that.”
The St. Joseph Monument
The St. Joseph site – just 1.5 miles from the Benton Harbor monument – is at the west end of Margaret B. Upton Arboretum. Dr. King will look toward Benton Harbor from atop a small hill along the St. Joseph River.
Dr. King’s hand rests on the shoulders of a little Black girl. A white girl releases doves toward Benton Harbor. She represents the hope for a peaceful and joyful future between the two towns. The installation will acknowledge the challenges of our history and remind us of the power of unity.
“This came from a journey we started in the summer of 2020, which was sort of the summer of social justice and it brought two cities together,” said St. Joseph Mayor and Project Co-Chair Laura Goos . “And it will continue to bring us together.”
The design for the St. Joseph monument was approved on Mar. 28 by the city commission.
What’s next
Through donations, the organization has raised more than 60% of the necessary $850,000 needed for the project. Project leaders stressed in order to complete the project by next June, they still need to raise more than $300,000.
The group secured a $250,000 challenge grant from Whirlpool Foundation. Other donors have included AEP Foundation, Meijer Stores, United Federal Credit Union, St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Rotary Club Foundation, Frederick Upton Foundation, Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council, Berrien Community Foundation, and Corewell Health.
“Please, do not let this moment pass by,” Sharon Brown said. “We want all to come be a part of it. Donations are critical to keeping our momentum.”
To donate, visit unifiedmonuments.org.
