Rebecca the Woman from Africa sculpture

Hi, my name is Elaine Cawley Weintraub and I am the Executive Director of the African American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard. We commissioned the renowned sculptor, Barney Zeitz, to create a sculpture of Rebecca the Woman from Africa, enslaved on Martha's Vineyard. Her daughter was Nancy Michael the wise woman.The sculpture of Nancy is at Memorial Wharf in Edgartown and was created by Barney Zeitz. The sculpture will show details of Rebecca's life including the names of her descendants This is a very important venture for AAHTMV. We researched Rebecca's life many years ago , but were unable to finance such an ambitious project. Though enslaved, she inherited property from her Wampanoag husband, Elisha Amos. Her great grandson, William Martin, was the Vineyard's only African American whaling captain. Her story is incorporated into the sculpture which will be placed on a rock at the Native Earth Teaching Farm on North Road in Chilmark.