November 27th 2025.
A statue has been unveiled in a Northern England town to honor a woman who escaped slavery in the United States. The town, North Shields, was where she found her freedom and the statue stands at the top of the Riverside Embankment Walkway, overlooking the sea. According to BBC, the statue of Mary Ann Macham was unveiled on November 20th and was designed by Keith Barrett. It is a bronze figure that serves as a testament to Macham's resilience and Britain's often-overlooked Black history.
The story of Mary Ann Macham is truly remarkable and inspiring. She was born in Middlesex County, Virginia in 1802 and managed to escape enslavement and torture after hiding in the woods for weeks and stowing away on a ship. She eventually arrived in North Shields in the early 1830s, where she was taken in by a Quaker family. She later married a local man and lived in the town until she passed away at the age of 91.
Steph Towns, a teacher who came across Macham's story while researching Britain's role in slavery with her grandmother, was amazed by her bravery and resilience. "The story was so amazing, I just thought we've got to share this more widely," she said. "She was just such a remarkable and brave woman." Towns was led to Macham's story after seeing a picture of her and decided to delve deeper.
Macham's story was recorded by the Spence family, who had helped her upon her arrival in North Shields. Years later, Steph Towns discovered her story and shared it on Facebook, where it caught the attention of Nina Brown, a trustee at North Shields' Old Low Light Heritage Centre. This led to an exhibition showcasing Macham's story and a headstone being placed on her previously unmarked grave in Preston Cemetery.
The statue was commissioned by North Tyneside Council and sculpted by Keith Barrett, a North Shields native who took great pride in the project. "I am very pleased to have been allowed to create this sculpture celebrating the life of Mary Ann Macham," Barrett said. "It has been particularly important to me because North Shields is my home town, and I feel honoured to be able to mark the bravery and insistence on freedom shown by Mary Ann, and the compassion and support for human rights and justice displayed by the Quaker community in North Shields, and all those towns people who enabled her to settle and marry, and live out the rest of her life in safety and freedom."
This statue stands as a symbol of hope and resilience, not just for Mary Ann Macham, but for all those who have fought for freedom and equality. It serves as a reminder of Britain's Black history, often overshadowed and overlooked. The legacy of Mary Ann Macham continues to inspire and her story will now be shared with a wider audience, thanks to the efforts of those who have worked to honor her life.
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