South Minneapolis History: The Arthur and Edith Lee Family

South Minneapolis History: The Arthur and Edith Lee Family. . , In July 1931, Arthur and Edith Lee and their 5-year-old daughter Mary, an African-American family, moved into this home at 4600 Columbus Avenue South which they had purchased that spring. Immediately, their white neighbors mobilized to drive them out, first by offering to buy it from them for more than they had paid, then by vandalizing the home, yelling racial epithets at the family, and killing Mary's dog. By July 16th, a mob of several thousand white people gathered outside the house, threatening to storm and burn it to the ground., Arthur was a world war one veteran and U.S. Postal Service worker. When his request for help from Minneapolis police was ignored, he and his brother Edward were joined by fellow veterans and co-workers. They kept an armed vigil to safeguard the family and home until eventually the mob dispersed., It is difficult to imagine the inner struggle Arthur faced, torn between protecting his family and the importance of taking a stand for civil rights. He and Lena Olive Smith, the first African-American woman licensed to practice law in the State of Minnesota and leader of the NAACP, made a powerful decision to take a stand for fair housing. Their bravery demands to be remembered., Though Minneapolis did not witness another white mob protest against housing integration after the Lees' courageous stand, discriminatory housing practices remained the norm for decades and this neighborhood did not have another African-American resident for thirty years. The city still grapples with this ugly legacy., This sculpture was dedicated on July 16, 2011, 80 years after the mob descended on the Lee family's home, to Arthur, Edith, and Mary Lee, by their loving family, friends and this community, with thanks and honor. 4600 Columbus Avenue was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 11, 2014., The sculpture was created by the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center in collaboration with Obsidian Arts, by artists Loretta Day and Esther Osayande. It features a limestone plinth to represent the necessity for our community to form a strong foundation together. The weathering steel plate symbolically shields the residence as Arthur's fellow veterans and co-workers did during the siege on the house. The materials, like the endurance required of people choosing to stand up for justice, will not degrade over time. The image of Arthur Lee is rendered as an optical illusion, revealing either his eyes closed in prayer, or as an engaging visage compelling viewers to find solutions.