Harriet Tubman deserves a permanent statue in Philly. Few others are worthy.

As a public historian, I was pleased to learn that Philadelphia had decided to erect a permanent statue of Harriet Tubman. Following outcry that the city had commissioned the statue from a North Carolina-based white artist, I agreed with the decision to withdraw the no-bid contract and seek proposals from other artists.

But Public Art Director Marguerite Anglin’s recent statement that the city will welcome proposals about “another African American’s contribution to our nation’s history” has raised a red flag.

Harriet Tubman is sui generis — unique. She cannot be replaced by a random African American historical figure. Tubman stands alone as a symbol of freedom, courage, and service to others. Her unique contribution to American history is recognized by the CIA, which recently unveiled a statue of Tubman at its Langley, Va., headquarters. A little known fact about Tubman is that she served as a spy during the Civil War and helped gather intelligence that proved vital to the Union cause. She also had strong ties to Philadelphia — she came to the city in 1849, after escaping slavery in Maryland, and used the Underground Railroad’s network of homes and churches in the city to free about 70 enslaved people from Maryland.

» READ MORE: A Harriet Tubman statue for the city is no longer a sure thing. City’s open call will allow for other proposed subjects.

Harriet Tubman deserves a permanent statue in Philadelphia. Period. But as the statement from Anglin suggests, that plan is now at risk. The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s “new direction” is as opaque as the plan to award a no-bid commission.

Representation matters, but when it comes to artwork on city property, who is represented matters. Anglin said that the city “will be looking for a wide variety of original and unique ideas from many artists.” But the city’s public art policy does not allow for that. According to a directive from the Office of the Managing Director, the subject of a commemorative monument must have “made significant contributions to Philadelphia, have had significant impact on Philadelphia and beyond, and represent broadly shared community values.”

I have served on art review panels. It is a disservice to applicants to encourage them to expend their limited time and resources on a proposal that would not comply with the city’s public art policy. The short list of African American historical figures who meet the criteria for a public monument includes Richard Allen, Crystal Bird Fauset, Frederick Douglass, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Billie Holiday, Paul Robeson, William Still, Leon H. Sullivan, C. Delores Tucker, and Malcolm X. A statue of Marian Anderson is already in the works.

Since Philadelphia appears to be exploring other options for a statue besides Harriet Tubman, I believe three of the historical figures on the short list have particular resonance.

Crystal Bird Fauset was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1938, representing the then-majority white 18th District. During her time in office, Fauset introduced bills focusing on public health, public relief, housing for the poor, and women’s rights in the workplace. Friends with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, she was awarded the Pennsylvania Meritorious Service Medal by Gov. George H. Earle.

Fauset also helped establish the Institute of Race Relations at Swarthmore College. Samuel Lewis Jr., founder of the Crystal Bird Fauset Institute for Civic Engagement, told me she spent her career promoting human rights and dignity on the local, national, and international level. In 2017, City Council passed resolutions naming the 5200 through 5400 blocks of Vine Street as “Crystal Bird Fauset Way.” A Pennsylvania historical marker is installed in front of her West Philly townhouse.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an abolitionist, women’s suffrage and public education advocate, writer, and poet. An excerpt of her poem “Bury Me in a Free Land” is inscribed on a wall in the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Contemplative Court.

Harper was a supporter of the Colored Female Free Produce Society of the “free produce” movement, which called for the boycott of goods produced with slave labor, and a traveling lecturer for the Maine Anti-Slavery Society. In his landmark book The Underground Railroad, William Still wrote that Harper was “one of the most liberal contributors, as well as one of the ablest advocates of the Underground Rail Road and of the slave.”

She was a founding member of the American Woman Suffrage Association and a cofounder of the National Association of Colored Women, whose motto, “Lifting as We Climb,” is a possible theme for the Harriet Tubman statue.

Harper’s home at 10th and Bainbridge was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior in 1976. It is one of only 67 National Historic Landmarks in Philadelphia. The historical marker out front notes Harper “advocated education as a way of advancement for Black Americans.”

Malcolm X, aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was a world-renowned human-rights activist and racial justice advocate. He moved to North Philly in March 1954 to expand Temple No. 12 of the Nation of Islam. After his split from the Nation of Islam, his charismatic leadership laid the foundation for the growth of Sunni Islam among African Americans in Philadelphia and beyond. An estimated 200,000 Muslims live in Philadelphia, the majority of whom are Black.

Malcolm X’s story of a misspent adolescence and young manhood, and later personal redemption, is testament that one can overcome poverty, street life, or incarceration. As the city grapples with generational poverty and gun violence, we must show young people and returning citizens that they are not defined by their past. Like with Malcolm, there are second chances.

A cultural icon, Malcolm X is memorialized in books, music, visual art, movies, and a U.S. Postal Service Black Heritage Stamp. His time in Philadelphia is commemorated with a public park, murals, and a historical marker recognizing his leadership of Temple No. 12.

To repeat: Tubman deserves a permanent statue. But if the city is going to open the call to other historical figures, there are only a few individuals who meet the city’s public art criteria.

The announcement of a permanent Harriet Tubman statue was a moment of civic pride that descended into a debacle due to the failure to seek submissions from other artists. I hope the next phase of the project doesn’t lead to another muddied and muddled mess.

Faye M. Anderson is director of All That Philly Jazz, a place-based public history project. She can be reached at andersonatlarge@gmail.com.