BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A new sculpture unveiled in the Queen City Wednesday celebrates racial equity.
The monument located in Dewey Park is called “Embrace and Belonging.” It’s a mirror image of two birds looking at each other, symbolizing both inward reflection and learning from neighbors. The bird is a symbol from Ghanan folklore called “sankofa,” representing the idea of moving forward by looking back at the past.
An interpretive panel says the monument is the “next step in the city’s commitment to move from a non-permanent Black Lives Matter street mural to a permanent structure symbolizing belonging and equity in the past, present, and future.”
“This historic North End is the most diverse neighborhood in the city. We have so much to be proud of and I think this monument is a symbol of that. I hope we can embrace it and we can feel that we belong here, that it belongs here,” said Burlington City Councilor Melo Grant, P-Central.
Some residents were initially concerned about the size of the project but officials say the final product is smaller than its initial rendering.
Ai Qiu and Chen Hopen — a mother-son duo — designed and installed the sculpture.