The City of Newark unveils a sculpture of former Mayor Ken Gibson. WBGO’s Ang Santos with more.

The City of Newark unveiled a sculpture of former Mayor Ken Gibson. The stone statue stands tall, a young Mayor Ken Gibson behind a podium with his hands raised.

“It’s from his victory first inauguration, victory speech,” said the late Mayor’s wife Camille Gibson. “I love it. I think it’s beautiful. It’s oversized but the detail in the face is perfect. If you knew Ken, the face looks exactly like him, right down to his little ears. It really does.”

Mayor Ras Baraka says the statue’s downtown Newark location is significant.

“This is deeper than we can imagine. Unveiling of a statue of Mayor Kenneth Allen Gibson in Lincoln Park. Abraham Lincoln, in Lincoln Park,” he said.

The sculpture of Mayor Gibson overlooks Broad Street, recently renamed Mayor Kenneth Allen Gibson Boulevard.