Case Studies

Educator, scholar, writer, and fearless civil rights activist Octavius Catto was 32 when he was gunned down for bringing black voters to the polls in 1871. More than 140 years after his death, Catto and the values of equity and fairness he fought to make central to life are being recognized with a large memorial in Philadelphia. It’s the first public monument honoring one African American citizen in Philly.

The memorial consists of a 12-foot bronze statue of Catto, and five granite pillars carved to look like upturned streetcars. There is also a stainless-steel ballot box resting on a broad table.