Mountain View's "Black Family" statue returns home
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The new " Black Family" statue (left). Artist Rossie Wade (left) and contractor C.J. Johnson stand in front of the original (left). Remnants of the statue in 2024 (right). Photos: City of San Diego; San Diego History Center/San Diego Union-Tribune Collection
The "Black Family" statue is finally standing tall again at Neal Petties Mountain View Community Park.
Why it matters: The original 6-foot wooden sculpture created by artist Rossie Wade was installed in 1974 and served as an inspiring landmark and meetup spot for Black families.
- But it deteriorated to only a plaque and an empty brick base over time, and local residents have been waiting years to see it restored.
Driving the news: San Diego city leaders, Wade's daughters, and community members unveiled the restored statue last weekend during a Juneteenth celebration.
- "Rossie Wade created a lasting symbol of Black family, unity, strength and belonging, and this community refused to let that legacy disappear," Councilmember Henry L. Foster III said in a statement. "To see this landmark back in the park, restored and ready for future generations, is a reminder that our history deserves to be protected, celebrated and carried forward."
Zoom in: The new statue still depicts two parents and their two children standing tall, but this one is made of carbon steel.
- It was built by Mike Bradbury, a welding instructor at the San Diego College of Continuing Education who created a replica of the statue for the city's Martin Luther King Jr. parade in 2024.
- There are also new boulder benches and landscaping around the statue
📍Find it at the edge of the park on the corner 40th and Ocean View Boulevard.
Catch up quick: Jeffery Hayes, a Mountain View resident and chair of the park's recreation group, saw the original statue go up and then get vandalized and disintegrate. He reached out to Wade's daughters to try to recreate it, and they pushed for a replica to be reinstalled for years.
- In 2023, Mayor Todd Gloria worked with California State Assemblymember Akilah Weber to secure $195,000 in state funds to restore and rebuild the statue.
