[gentle music]   - When I started   doing art years ago, I never expected to kind of be in this kind of line of work where I'm doing figurative sculpture, and celebrating specific individuals who make great   contributions to   our country really.

It's been a pleasant   surprise to be involved   in this kind   of thing, because   it is the kind of thing   that will inspire   people to think further   about what's happened   and how things   can be better.

A couple of years ago, it was brought to my attention that did not have an Ida B.

Wells tribute in Memphis, and that we started to talk about what that might be.

And, then interest was put out for a full-sized, lifesize bronze statue of her that would represent her   at the age that she was   when she was in Memphis,   which would put   her in her late 20s,   and she was here for a   period of around 10 years,   not quite that.

So, the image that we developed   needed to be something   that showed the clothing of   the period that she lived in,   and we wanted to represent   her as a strong woman.

She was an attractive woman.

But, to try to include some,   something in the sculpture   that would make people   go, "Who is the woman?

"Why is she here?

What does she represent?"

And so, the pose   that was developed,   since in that day they   wore full length skirts, and making an action sort of pose was not going to be appropriate.

We decided to use a, part of what would be the newspaper that she was the editor of at the time,   which was the "Free Speech",   was the name of her newspaper   in Memphis, and to show   that she was going   to write the truth   even when it was going   to bring up opposition, or stir up things, that we put her in a position where she had a hand on her hip and put a pen in that hand that's on the hip,   because she was a journalist   and an excellent writer.

But, she used her words to   bring awareness to people   and to educate all   the community, white,   black, everyone   in the community,   about what was really going on,   and to try to find out ways   to bring this to a halt.

The day it was unveiled, I've had many unveilings of sculptures before, but I've never had an unveiling like this one.

[chuckles]   There was so much   joy in the community,   so much celebration.

It was just marvelous.

Actually to see people   who were in public office,   the students from various   schools who participated,   and bands to celebrate it.

People brought in   speakers from out of town.

Most of the sculptures I do   are done for a purpose   of celebrating   somebody, but this one really brought to light that this woman needs to be celebrated for, not only what she did in the past, but what she continues to do, what she continues to represent about truth telling, about how we treat each other,   and how to bring, as she   moved on through her life,   how to actively bring   healing and resolution   to some of these problems.

And we still have a lot   of these problems still.

But, the day of   the celebration,   the unveiling, is just a   tremendous sense of community.

And, I can hardly describe it really.

And it wasn't, yes the sculpture was unveiled and everything, but really the celebration of the idea of Ida,   the celebration, which is   what it was supposed to do   in the first place, is   celebrate what she represents.

I just hope that people will, I hope that the sculpture will inspire people to think more deeply about how to solve our attitudes towards race.

Not only black and white, but Asian and, whatever it is, Hispanic, whatever it is, and to, as we become more aware of the disparities and the struggles, to honor each other as fully equal individuals, with different cultures.

Different cultures is fine,   nothing wrong with different   cultures, nothing wrong   with different communities   if that's the   way things develop.

But, with mutual respect,   and that's what I learned   in reading Ida's works.

That's what I felt   she would've wanted.

It wasn't so much about   just lifting one group up.

It was about recognizing the equality in all, and the natural right of everyone to be full and free citizens, and have equal rights to excel.

So,   I just hope for   that for the future.

[gentle music]