Celebration: Dr. Maya Angelou Monument Unveiling and Performance

Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman
Thursday, 9/19/2024
10:00 - 3:00
Koret Auditorium
Larkin Street Steps
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400
Register

The San Francisco Arts Commission, in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library celebrates the installation of Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman, a new monument honoring Dr. Maya Angelou by artist Lava Thomas. The monument will be located outside the Larkin Street entrance of the Main Library. It will feature a portrait of Dr. Angelou based on a 1973 interview with Bill Moyers, along with the words "Still I Rise" and an inspiring quote about the power of libraries and human connection.

Fabricated in bronze and set atop a basalt base, the monument stands at a total height of nine feet and weighs approximately 6,900 lbs. Lava Thomas hopes the sculpture serves as a beacon for the values that defined Dr. Angelou’s life—courage, faith, justice, and artistic freedom.

Schedule of events:

10–11 a.m.: Community Celebration

 

11 a.m.–12 p.m.: Unveiling Ceremony & Speaking Program

 

12 p.m.–2 p.m.: Community Celebration, Performances and Activities - Koret Auditorium

The African-American Shakespeare Company will present From One to Another: Homage to the Legacy of Maya Angelou, a choreopoem directed by Devin A. Cunningham with original composition by DeVante’ Winn. The performance, featuring monologues and poetry inspired by Angelou’s life and works, will tour libraries and community events throughout San Francisco. In addition, Youth Speaks hosted workshops and showcases in early 2024, where local poets created new works in response to Angelou’s legacy and the contributions of Black women and femmes in publishing.

Celebrations

Connect with your community through Library gatherings.

One City One Book

Events and workshops curated around SFPL’s One City One Book selection. One City One Book: San Francisco Reads is a citywide literary event that encourages members of the San Francisco community to read the same book at the same time. For more information, see sfpl.org/onecityonebook.

More Than a Month: Black Interest

Connect to engaging discussions and performances related to the Black community.

More Than a Month recognizes important events in Black history, honors community and national leaders and fosters steps towards collective change. Programming features authors, poets and craft classes. 

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.