Denmark Receives First Public Monument of a Black Woman
On March 31st, 2018, the day of the 100th anniversary of the sale and transfer of the US Virgin Islands from Denmark to the United States, Denmark got its first public monument of a black woman.
“I Am Queen Mary” is a 23-foot-tall sculpture of Mary Thomas, one of the three leading figures of the Fireburn, the largest labor revolt in Danish colonial history, which took place on October 1, 1878 on St. Croix. According to history, the revolt started when a worker named Henry Trotman was injured after some confrontations in Frederiksted. Three women who became known as Queen Mary, Queen Agnes and Queen Mathilda led the rebellion and with their fights managed to achieve some improvements for laborers, including higher pay. The three queens were arrested and served part of their sentence in Christianshavn women’s prison in Copenhagen.
The artists behind the awe-inspiring sculpture, Jeannette Ehlers and La Vaughn Belle, wanted to create an artwork that would always remind Danes of their colonial past and the people who fought against it. “The project represents a bridge between the two countries. It’s a hybrid of our bodies, nations, and narratives. It extends the conversation beyond the centennial year and gets people to really question what is their relationship to this history,” Belle explains.
“It takes a statue like this to make forgetting less easy. It takes a monument like this to fight against the silence, neglect, repression, and hatred,” Henrik Holm, Senior Research Curator at the National Gallery of Art said in a statement. “Never before has a sculpture like this been erected on Danish soil. Now, Denmark is offered a sculpture that addresses the past. But it is also an artwork for the future.”
The “I Am Queen Mary” statue has been placed in front of Copenhagen’s West Indian Warehouse, the building that was once used for storing sugar, rum and other products collected in the Danish colonies in the Caribbean.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
Culture Trip Spring Sale
Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.
- Post ID: 1000031803
- Sponsored? No
- View Payload