Who said what when.

A Timeline of Events - City of Pomona’s Call 4 Visual Art & the Advancement of Spectra Company’s Application to Install a Harriet Tubman Statue at Lincoln Park

By Julian Lucas
Published December 12, 2022 8:00 Am PST
Updated April 11, 2023 9:20 Am PST

Monday, December 12, 2022 the Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory Committee will meet at 4:30pm in Council Chambers to discuss agenda item, “Call 4 Visual Art Process Review Staff will facilitate a discussion at the Committee level on strategies to improve and update the Call for Visual Art process for the next round.” The public is invited to speak.

In anticipation of this discussion, The Pomonan is releasing a timeline of what happened with the application to install a Harriet Tubman statue in Lincoln Park in the last Call for Visual Art cycle, the involvement of public elected and appointed officials and the lack of opportunity for the public to engage.

March 15, 2022

The City of Pomona launched a Call 4 Visual Art application process soliciting applications from visual artists and non-profit organizations for proposed ideas for public art citywide in previously- approved locations. "This call is for artists of all ages living anywhere and any non-profit organization located anywhere interested in public art in Pomona." The City stated that non-profit organizations may be required to supply additional information, such as a copy of Form 990 with an operating budget, and so forth.

All applications were to be considered by the Cultural Arts Commission and its Citizens Advisory Committee. Applications were accepted between March 15 and 5PM, April 21, 2022.

March 24, 2022

Perhaps this was the first announcement of an unveiling of the Harriet Tubman statue on July 4 at a Pomona public park. On March 24th an article appears in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin the city of Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval called Spectra Company’s founder and President Ray Adamyk’s efforts and the statue an opportunity for youth to learn about Tubman’s impact.

“[Spectra Company’s CEO Ray]Adamyk also hopes to raise money for the church through Unity Day LA on July 4 . The 1.5-mile walk will start at Lincoln Park before ending at the Fairplex. A Tubman statue is expected to be unveiled at a city park to coincide with the event . . .

Spectra Company is a for profit corporation, not a non-profit.

Sandoval said, “It's important to ‘have a statue of a person that represents what it was like to go through and endure slavery and not just endure but to fight back,’ Sandoval said by phone last week.” Daily Bulletin

April 21, 2022

Deadline for City of Pomona Visual Art Applications.

A few days prior to April 23, 2022 Mayor Tim Sandoval, Lincoln Park posted on the Nextdoor app with his personal, not official account:

“Please join me this Saturday, April 23, at 10 am at Lincoln Park to discuss the following items: city finances, Garey and Holt Avenue Rehabilitation projects, and a proposed statue at Lincoln Park. I will provide pastries and coffee. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at 909 762 - 1982. Thanks!”

There were 61 responses on NextDoor to Sandoval’s personal post. This raises questions about using social media as a site to conduct private serial meetings beyond the purview of the public. It also raises questions about conducting private meetings to build consensus between more than three members of any governing body without public input.

Historic Preservation Commissioner Ann Tomkins, appointed by Mayor Sandoval responded on Sandoval’s Nextdoor post just after Sandoval’s Lincoln Park meet-and-greet: “Most of the discussion was about a proposed Harriet Tubman statue for Lincoln Park . . . The city is in the process of reviewing applications for art projects in many of the city parks and this proposed statue may be part of that process.”

Mayor Tim Sandoval commented at the City Council meeting on Sept. 22, 2022, that several City Council Members, Commissioners, Committee members, etc. were present at his meet-and-greet at Lincoln Park.
If more than 4 members of any of the voting bodies - including the Historic Preservation Commission, Park & Recreation Commission, Cultural Arts Commission, Cultural Arts Commission Cultural Art Commission Citizen Advisory Committee or the City Council - attended the meeting OR read the comments posted on social media it could very possibly mean a Brown Act violation. And if not a clear Brown Act violation, this meeting, since it was not public, certainly violates the intents and purposes of the Brown Act, which is to allow public access to public decision-making at every level of the decision-making process.

The use of a public park for a private event raises another issue entirely. The Pomonan is unaware if city permits need to be issued for private citizens to host events in Pomona's public parks - like the Mayor's private meet-and-greet OR non-profit or private fundraising events like the Unity Walk, but a person would think so. Or is anyone allowed to stage an event at a public park? It raises the question - who can stage and advertise events at Pomona's public parks and what is the process?

Therefore, Mayor Sandoval's meet and greet raises four major issues:

1. The use of a personal social media account to arrange what looked like a public-sanctioned meeting, but was actually a private meeting.
2. The use of social media to discuss a public issue before it was ever on a public agenda.
3. The use of a private meeting to discuss a public issue before it was ever on a public agenda.
4. The use of a public park for a private event.

May 9, 2022

ABC7 News – Unity Day LA Producer and Spectra Company President & Founder Ray Adamyk on Harriet Tubman’s Last Stop on Underground Railroad, 328 views

Time stamp: 1:24 - Mayor Tim Sandoval speaks.

Unity Day LA is the name Producer and Spectra Company President & Founder Ray Adamyk assigned to his promotional event at Lincoln Park and the Pomona Fairgrounds on July 4th to raise money to restore Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The event involved speakers, a march, boxing and entertainers and the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman statue at a Pomona public park.

The article was reprinted in California News :

“This was just one opportunity to potentially bring to one of our parks, a representation of the Harriet Tubman statue,” said Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval. “To have a conversation not about our past but to start looking at our future.

May 26, 2022

Cision PR WEB and Benzinga Published Press Release

"The dedication of the Harriet Tubman statue at Lincoln Park is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on July 4, 2022, along with remarks from Adamyk, Dr. Alveda King, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, President of the Pomona Valley NAACP Jeanette Ellis-Royston, and Elizabeth Zamora, CEO of Bright Prospects. The park is located at 400 Lincoln Blvd. in Pomona, and anyone who wishes to attend the unveiling and participate in the Unity Walk is welcome." Cision PR WEB / Benzinga

June 7, 2022

Unity Day LA: Press Release Publishes Press Release, “Inaugural Unity Walk Set for July 4 in Pomona, California”

“The dedication of the Harriet Tubman statue at Lincoln Park is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on July 4, 2022, along with remarks from Adamyk, Dr. Alveda King, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval and Elizabeth Zamora, CEO of Bright Prospects. The park is located at 400 Lincoln Blvd. in Pomona, and anyone who wishes to attend the unveiling and participate in the Unity Walk is welcome.” Unity Day LA / Spectra Company

June 16, 2022

City of Pomona Agenda, Park and Recreation Commission:

Request from Applicant [Spectra Company] to Approve the Installation of Public Art at Lincoln Park. (See Staff Report)

This is the first time the Harriet Tubman Statue shows up on any City of Pomona agenda. Previous to this request, Lincoln Park was NOT on the list submitted as approved sites for public art, and none of the other 137 or so submissions were for Lincoln Park.

During this meeting, the City of Pomona’s Park and Recreation Commission voted to approve the Lincoln Park site for the Harriet Tubman sculpture.

Based on this decision by the P & R Commission, on June 22, 2022, the Planning Division authorized a Minor Certificate of Appropriateness for the installation of public art in the form of an 80” bronze figurative statue to be located at the center of the existing rose garden at Lincoln Park. This letter was addressed and sent to Ean Frank, Project manager of Spectra Company.

The decision by the P & R Commission and the City’s Planning Division occurred prior to the City of Pomona Cultural Arts Commission (CAC)’s & Cultural Arts Citizen Advisory Committee (CACAC)’s consideration of the 137 or so Call 4 Visual Art applications, including Spectra Company’s application for this Harriet Tubman statue.

This is an instance where one application gained Commission approval and momentum prior to actual official approval of funding. Other applicants did not have the opportunity to submit an application for this unapproved site of Lincoln Park.

Just a few days before the scheduled Unity Day event on July 4, 2022, GOOD DAY LA airs a segment interviewing Ray Adamyk, President, Spectra Corporation about his Unity Day.

“Unity Day LA came up a few months ago working with Mayor Tim Sandoval, he came up with the idea to
have this sculpture in the center of Lincoln Park.”

July 8, 2022

City Pride Magazine publishes, “Harriet Tubman Statue Unveiled in Pomona on Unity Day”

“The African American Museum of Beginnings, the NAACP, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, Unity Day organizer Ray Adamyk, and many others joined together for the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman statue on the grounds of Lincoln Park in Pomona Monday.” City Pride Magazine; July 8, 2022

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

An unpublicized date after the July 4th event, 2022
National Sculpture Society News, NY, NY publishes “Manuelita Brown’s Harriet Tubman Unveiled”

“On 4th of July Manuelita Brown’s Harriet Tubman was unveiled to the public in Pomona, CA. The unveiling happened at the Unity Day L.A. celebration and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval as well as representatives from The African American Museum of Beginning and the NAACP were present for the activities. After the unveiling, there was a half-mile walk for racial unity and community reconciliation which included all ethnicities, police, and the community walking together under the theme “There is a time to protest – There is a time to Unite.” Brown is a member of National Sculpture Society’s Southern California Sculpture Community.” National Sculpture Society

July 28, 2022

On July 28, 2022 La Nueva Voz, (The New Voice), a Bilingual (English/Spanish) Publication: Pomona’s only Community Newspaper publishes article entitled, “Statue of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman unveiled in Pomona’s Lincoln Park as ‘Unity Day’ activities unfold”

‘This in my view is the true embodiment of community,’ said Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, referring to people of all ages and backgrounds. ‘This is what a city should be is people coming together to love, to maybe even debate and discuss, but that’s what a healthy democracy looks like.’ He added that the statue will remain for generations to come as people come to Pomona to see it and so I see this beautiful statue as an opportunity, one of many opportunities, for us to bring folks together, Sandoval said.

‘Art has a way of bringing people together,’ Sandoval said. ‘As you know we have real serious social and economic challenges in this country and there is no group that has been harder hit than Black Americans in this country. There is more work to be done not only here in Pomona but all over this country,’ he said.
‘We have to work together to come up with the solutions . . . and so I see this beautiful statue as an opportunity, one of many opportunities, for us to bring folks together,’ Sandoval said.” page 2. La Nueva Voice

(Unfortunately, we could not quote the Spanish portion of Sandoval’s statement, due to the article not containing the Spanish translation. In fact, La Nueva Voz has very limited or less than 5% of Spanish translations for most of its articles, as it claims to be a bilingual (English/Spanish) community newspaper in a city that is 75% Latinx including Spanish speaking families.)

August 8, 2022

The City of Pomona hold a joint meeting with the Cultural Arts Commission (CAC) & Cultural Arts Citizen Advisory Committee (CACAC), Joint Meeting. This is the first time that any of the City of Pomona’s Commissioners and Committee members had the opportunity to review the proposal for the Harriet Tubman statue along with some 136 other applications for the funding of public art across the city. Prior to the meeting on August 8th meeting, the City of Pomona’s Planning Department sent the Cultural Arts Commissioners & Cultural Arts Citizen Advisory Committee Members this Conflict of Interest Disclosure:
(See Staff Report, Page 10)

“For all individual Committee Members and Commissioners, please note:

In light of the high dollar amount before the Committee and Commissions, a friendly reminder to carefully review the full list of artists and organizations and to timely disclose to staff any financial affiliations or connections with any individuals or groups on the list, as this would constitute a direct conflict of interest.

Also, please consider any formal or informal interactions that you may have had with individuals or groups with art proposals being considered for funding and be sure you are able to make a fair and unbiased decision.

Best practice dictates public disclosure of any interactions to avoid any appearance of bias. A conflict of interest arises when an individual’s personal interest or bias compromises his or her ability to act in accordance with professional or personal obligations.

Please feel free to reach out to staff should you need any clarifications.”

On August 8, 2022, no one on either the Committee or Commission recused themselves in spite of the fact that some Commissioners and Committee members attended the Harriet Tubman event in Lincoln Park on July 4th, some advertised the event on social media, some were featured in the advertisements of the event, and some spoke at the event. Unity Day LA

Both the Committee and Commission voted not to fund the Harriet Tubman statue for the $158,000 based on questions of:

Financial receivership: The application was originally submitted by Spectra Company, a private company, rather than a non-profit organization or individual artist. It was Ray Adamyk, President of Spectra Company who revealed during his public comments at this meeting that receivership should be changed to Village Pomona/PTowne, his non-profit. This non-profit lacked significant documentation of its non-profit status for the Commission and Committee to review at the time. It’s not clear whether or not the City of Pomona has received the appropriate documents from Village Pomona/PTowne to date. A google search for this non-profit has yielded little information. There is a PTowne website that advertises for tenants for the former YMCA building.
According to the P Towne website, P Towne is a "PROJECT FINANCED BY NEW MARKETS TAX CREDITS THROUGH NEW MARKETS COMMUNITY CAPITAL, LLC. A TELACU COMPANY, SHELF-HELP FEDERAL CREDIT UNION (SIC), U.S. BANK, AND CEDAR RAPIDS BANK & TRUST."
The high cost of installation requested by Spectra Company a for profit company
Aesthetic valuing/selection of appropriate site
Violations of City protocols - the advancement of one application over the 136 or so others submitted for Committee and Commission review.

The CACAC and the CAC voted not to fund Spectra Company. There are no minutes from that meeting.

September 19, 2022
City of Pomona City Council Meeting - Appeal Hearing

“7. Appeal of a Cultural Arts Commission Decision Denying the Award of Public Art Fund Dollars for Public Art (Sculpture) to be Installed at Lincoln Park

It is recommended that the City Council adopt the following resolution:

RESOLUTION NO. 2022-174 - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, UPHOLDING CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION TO DENY A PUBLIC ART FUND AWARD TO AN APPLICATION FOR PUBLIC ART FOR A PROPOSED PUBLIC ART PIECE (SCULPTURE) TO BE LOCATED AT LINCOLN PARK IN THE CITY OF POMONA”

[time stamp, agenda item begins around 1:04:00

On Sept. 19th, Pomona’s City Council considered an appeal filed by appellant Ean Frank, Spectra Company’s Project manager for funding the Harriet Tubman statue. City Council overturned the CAC and CACAC’s decision not to fund, going against the staff recommendation by a vote of 5-2, amending the funding from the $118,000 requested to $42,250 for the maintenance and installation of the statue. The appeal doesn’t come from P-Towne Productions the alleged non-profit who resubmitted their application changing it from Spectra Company. The appeal comes from Spectra Company the private corporation.

Unfortunately, Spectra Company’s appeal formed much of the narrative of appeal. Since there were no minutes from the meeting of the Cultural Arts Commission and its Citizen Advisory Committee, the comments that carried over were mostly framed by the appellant, “Spectra Company”.

Mayor Sandoval and City Council Members Nolte, Preciado, Garcia,, Lustro, voted in favor. Vice Mayor Ontiveros-Cole and Council member Torres voted against. [time stamp, agenda item begins around 1:04:00]

Starting the discussion, Mayor Tim Sandoval revealed more about private meetings that took place prior to the CACAC and CAC meeting to approve or disapprove the funding for the project. Sandoval said the idea was born at a Christmas party that he attended hosted by Spectra Company in discussion with Spectra’s President & Founder Ray Adamyk.

Later, Sandoval said that he spoke with members of the AAAA (African American Advisory Alliance), a non-profit organization initiated by Sandoval as an outgrowth of conversations he began in June of 2020 with a few dozen Black advocates, educators, elders, faith-based leaders, and youth in the community. The ‘4As’ does not hold public meetings. Sandoval stated that he also met with members of the African American Museum of New Beginnings and with the Chair of the Cultural Arts Commission.

In addition, Sandoval stated that, prior to the funding & application review by the City’s Cultural Arts Commission and Cultural Arts Commission Citizen Advisory Committee - the Commission and Committee charged with that task of accepting the applications for public art and approving the funding - the application for the Harriet Tubman statue was reviewed by the Historic Preservation and the Park and Recreation Commissions as evidence that the statue had received a full Commission review process.

Sandoval’s statement was both false and misleading. After the application period for the City’s Call 4 Visual Arts applications, the City revealed that Spectra Company’s proposed site for the Harriet Tubman sculpture at Lincoln Park was NOT on the City’s approved site list generated on March 18, 2021. Therefore, the City got to work to approve Lincoln Park as a site for public art in anticipation of consideration of the Harriet Tubman statue. On May 4th, 2022 the Historic Preservation Commission determined that there was no need for a Certificate of Appropriateness to locate a sculpture at Lincoln Park, and on June 16th, the Parks & Recreation Commission also back-pedaled and approved Lincoln Park as a site for a statue. However, even though both Commissions approved the SITE for future public art, neither of the Commissions approved the Harriet Tubman sculpture to be placed there per se. That decision was beyond their jurisdiction. That decision was reserved for the CAC and the CACCAC to vote on in a meeting scheduled for August.

Later in the meeting to consider Spectra Company’s appeal, Council Member Nolte cited Sandoval’s statement that two Commissions had voted approval of the Harriet Tubman statue as evidence of a comprehensive Commission review process, but Planning Department staff member Ata Khan corrected both Nolte and Sandoval, saying that the HPC and P & R C had never considered the Harriet Tubman statue in a public meeting. In spite of this correction, it did not change Council Member Nolte’s mind - he voted to approve of funding the Harriet Tubman statue.

This is problematic because none of the other applicants in the City's Call 4 Art knew that Lincoln Park could be considered as a site for public art until after the application deadline. The City of Pomona should not be in the business of limiting fair competition in its Call 4 Artists. An additional concern is that the City's application for public art called for the submission of conceptual proposals - indicating that the City wanted to work with applicants to develop artwork that was appropriate for the various already-approved sites. At the time of submission of the proposal for the Harriet Tubman statue, it was already complete and had already been bought and paid for by Spectra Company.

Sandoval, in spite of his engagement with the media and his private meetings, including attending and speaking at the event itself prior to CAC and CACCAC review, declared that he did not “weigh in on'' the decision before any of the City Commissions or Committees. However, there is plenty of evidence otherwise.

During her comments, Vice Mayor Ontiveros-Cole revealed that prior to hearing the appeal, she had a private meeting with Ray Adamyk, President of Spectra’s Company to discuss the Harriet Tubman statue.

This raises the question - how many private meetings were held prior to holding a public meeting? If 4 or more City Council members met privately, one on one, in a group, or serially to discuss this statue than they would be in violation of the Brown Act. The problem with serial meetings is compounded by the use of social media. Posting on social media can also be considered as part of a serial meeting.

Council Member Preciado, voicing his support for funding the Harriet Tubman sculpture and voicing his support for circumventing public process, stated, “Every time we hear about a fight for process . . . it always seems that process is used to obstruct things we want to get done.” Preciado was not specific as to who he considers “we” in his statement. (Time-stamp around 2:28:00)

Such a statement by Council member Preciado - along with other statements by the Mayor and Council Members - show an unhealthy disregard for the public, for public process and the public’s right to be involved in government decisions. It is important that government business be conducted in public, rather than as a series of secret, private meetings that the public has no access to. Elected officials are supposed to be responsive to the people of the community, rather than dictate what they think is ‘best.’

California’s Ralph M. Brown Act is one of California’s main laws written with the intention of regulating transparency and disclosure in government. Its intention is to provide public access to meetings of local government agencies. Codified as Government Code sections 54950-54963 in 1953, the Act reads in it preamble:

“The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.”

Conclusion
Prior to proper Committee and Commission review, City of Pomona elected and appointed officials granted particular attention to one of the 137 or so applications the City received in its Call 4 Visual Art applications.

Considering this one application, elected and appointed officials were involved in private meetings that may or may not have violated the Brown Act. They talked to and were quoted in the press and they posted on social media. Some participated in a much-advertised “unveiling” that the City permitted on public park land. These private meetings, media announcements and this well-advertised event on public land helped promote one application over the others, allowing the project to gain momentum long before the application was ever considered for public funding in a public meeting with public access. This heavy-handed and premature promotion of one application was unfair to the other 137 or so artist applications, but also to the public at large. Based on what transpired, it would not be unfair to say that public perception is now that public officials can use their status to fast-track projects they like.

In addition, though the Planning Department issued a Conflict of Interest Disclosure form prior to the meetings, some elected and appointed officials did not respond to the dictate to disclose “any formal or informal interactions that they may have had with individuals or groups with art proposals being considered for funding.”

The City of Pomona’s leaders, by failing to adhere to their own protocols to ensure accountability, accessibility and transparency, have eroded the public trust.

Editors' Update and Note (2/21/2022)

The application for the Harriet Tubman statue was originally submitted from Spectra Company, a for-profit corporation, though this is non-compliant with the City's Call 4 Artist application process requiring applicants be either artists or non-profit organizations. The City allowed this corporate designation to stand through the Parks & Recreation Commission meeting on June 16, and the City staff's issuance of the Minor Certification of Appropriateness on June 22, 2022.

It was only at the August 12th joint meeting of the Cultural Arts Commission and the Cultural Arts Commission Citizen Advisory Committee that staff substituted the name, The Village Partners/PTowne, as the name of the applicant. Presumably, The Village Partners/PTowne is the name of Spectra Company's non-profit, though the Pomonan has been unable to locate this name as a registered non-profit. However, PTowne is registered as an LLC. It is unknown whether or not staff required, at that time, for The Village Partners/PTowne to submit a Form 990, operating budget and other materials as suggested in the application requirements. On September 19, for the City Council meeting, the appellant was Spectra Company's Project Manager Ean Frank, rather than a representative of Spectra's non-profit. For its appeal, Spectra Company reverted back to its corporate appellation.

This raises the question:

Who is the City of Pomona making the $42,250 check to? The Company? The Non-Profit? or the LLC?

Commentary from an ex-Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory Committee Member

During the process of approving and funding the Harriet Tubman statue, much talk circulated about the desire to represent the Black perspective and educate the public - particularly children - about her legacy of abolition and the fight for racial justice.

The sculptor, Manuelita Brown, was quoted by ABC News: “Manuelita Brown [the artist] said she was inspired to sculpt Harriet Tubman knowing she was not only a soldier but also an abolitionist who fought for women's right to vote and for Black people's right to vote.”

Later, during September 2022’s City Council Appeal Hearing, Mayor Tim Sandoval stated that the installation of the Harriet Tubman statue on Lincoln Park was borne out of a desire to address issues that flared up over the police murder of George Floyd as well as private contractor Ray Adamyk’s desire for racial reconciliation. He said that the selection of its location at Lincoln Park was to include more than just Lincoln’s perspective on emancipating the slaves.

In spite of these intentions, the quote selected for the statue’s base does not fully address these political concerns or Tubman’s desire to free her people, but rather centers on her belief in God to free herself: “God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the Heavens. He gave me the strength in my limbs. He meant I should be free.”

Neither the Cultural Arts Commission nor the Cultural Arts Commission Citizen Advisory Committee were consulted on the choice of quote. The Pomonan considers it an opportunity diluted to educate people about slavery, abolition and emancipation.

A Commissioner or Committee member's job is a complex one. It’s not just about aesthetic valuing and site approval. We have to also consider historical context as well. In the end, the member needs to consider the proposed statue’s value to the community - aesthetic, educational, etc.

When Mayor Sandoval states that the statue was born out of the George Floyd Uprising of 2020, it has to be put in the context of Pomona’s own policing politics. According to a report published by Gente Organizada, from 2016-2020 Pomona PD arrested 251 juveniles 11-17 years of age, 27% of those were Black youth, while the Black community only accounted for 6% of the population in the city of Pomona. These figures are precisely why it is so important that the selection of a figure as important as Harriet Tubman is presented as fully as possible. She was an abolitionist and that is the message that should be brought forward - not just that she was an abolitionist, but it is important to inform the public about all that being an abolitionist means.

The artist, Manuelita Brown mentions how Harriet Tubman’s life inspired her, highlighting that Harriet Tubman was not only a soldier and a liberator, but also an abolitionist.

After going through a plethora of quotes about her experience and how she defines slavery, the quote chosen was a strange whitewash of these facts. It raises the question - How do we really learn about Harriet Tubman by a single quote stating, “God's time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.”?

Furthermore, with all the hoopla of the unveiling on the 4th of July, the City of Pomona should have taken a page from the famous lecturer, abolitionist, and former slave - and the Mayor’s first consideration for a statue in Lincoln Park - Fredrick Douglass who delivered the speech, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? on the 5th of July 1852. His motivation to write such a speech was to address and respond to the hypocrisy of those who wanted to whitewash slavery.

Moreover, I find it interesting that the applicant Spectra Company’s founder Ray Adamyk while being interviewed by ABC news during the unveiling event stated “There is a time to protest, but there is a time to unite. United we stand divided we fall.'' (1:22) This was said in such a way to counter the ongoing protests that have been happening across the nation including those in front of Mayor Sandoval’s house in regards to police shootings of unarmed Black men. Furthermore, it is mind-boggling that Adamyk quoted from a statement made by founding father and slaver, John Dickinson, a federalist who opposed this country’s separation from Great Britain. Dickinson owned 37 slaves. Dickinson wrestled with his slave-ownership since he was a Quaker, and the Quakers in the Philadelphia area made it known that holding humans in captivity was unacceptable. It was strongly recommended that all Quakers set slaves free. It would appear that the Quakers’ protest’ worked. Dickinson, under pressure, freed his slave. So clearly, unity should not trump protest where protest is warranted.

I fear that the installation of the Harriet Tubman statue ends up being politics as usual. Political figures gain votes, a private businessman ameliorates his standing in the community, but the question remains, in the end, does the Harriet Tubman statue serve the educative value so many during the process suggested?

THERE REMAIN UNANSWERED QUESTIONS:

1. Who did the City of Pomona issue the check for the installation and maintenance of the Harriet Tubman statue for something like $42K? Did it go to the original applicant, Spectra Company, a private company as listed in the May - July City meetings and then listed again, in the City's appeal process in September? Or did it go to the non-profit, Village Partners, P-Towne which was changed for the combination CAC and CACCAC meeting in August? Or did it go to a private individual, Spectra’s Company CEO Ray Adamyk? The Pomonan has been unable to locate Village Partners P-Towne as a non-profit operating out of Pomona.

2. What were the financial results of Ray Adamyk’s Unity Day LA's two fundraising events held at the City of Claremont’s Lincoln Park in July 2022 and March 2023, respectively? These events listed a church in Canada, the last stop on the Underground Railroad, as the recipient for the fund-raising effort. Has there been a report of how much money has been turned over to the church in Canada?

Julian Lucas
Ex-committee Member for Pomona Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory

Julian Lucas is a photographer, a purveyor of books and writer in training, but mostly a photographer. Julian is a Committee member for Pomona Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory Committee, but his comments are strictly his own.

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