A statue of Harriet Tubman was set to replace one of Christopher Columbus in Newark’s Washington Park — just renamed to Tubman Square on Juneteenth. But the plans may be halted after the New Jersey Historic Sites Council voted to block the Tubman statue from standing in the place where Columbus once stood. His likeness was removed in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. Now cultural groups are grappling over the process, with members of the Italian American community saying they weren’t consulted in the plans. In the end, the Department of Environmental Protection has the final say because it oversees the location, which is part of the James Street Historic District.
