RICHMOND, Va. -- Strides, a new sculpture unveiled at the corner of Libbie and Patterson avenues in Richmond this week, commemorates Daisy Jane Cooper (now Jane Cooper Johnson) and her role in integrating Westhampton Junior High School.
The school once stood along the block where the art, commissioned by Bon Secours and Thalhimer Realty Partners, was installed.
"Strides was designed to inspire viewers to consider the weight of mounting pressures that Jane Cooper Johnson must have felt when, in 1961 after a three-year legal case and a U.S. District Court Order to desegregate, she became the first African American student at Westhampton at just 12 years old," a statement from Bon Secours - Richmond read. "For every courageous stride taken by young Daisy Jane (now Jane Cooper Johnson), we are eternally grateful. Through her extraordinary faith, humanity, and strength of character, she raised awareness of injustices and raised expectations and hopes for a more inclusive and just society."
About the Strides sculpture
Strides, created by Richmond-area artists Matt Lively and Tim Harper of Lively/Harper Environmental Sculpture, was named for the "first courageous steps" Jane Cooper Johnson took into Westhampton School in 1961. It consists of two 12-foot by 6-foot forms.
"Standing four feet apart, the two mirrored forms create negative space between them in the shape of a plus sign, which serves as a visual symbol of integration," the statement continued. "By entering and moving through this negative space, one can sense tension from the close proximity of surrounding forces. This exercise is meant to inspire viewers to consider what Ms. Cooper Johnson must have felt that first day of school, with the weight of mounting pressures all around her.
Emerge from the interior and walk around the sculpture to either end and one can see that Strides is, in essence, two plus signs consolidated into one experience. This is the story of integration: the joining of many for the strength of all."
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