O. V. Catto Memorial Committee Kicks Off
$1.5 Million Fundraising Effort
Abraham Lincoln Foundation Gives First $25,000 To Erect Memorial Statue
Shown with the "big check" representing the intitial $25,000 contribution from the Abraham Lincoln Foundation:
(l. to r.) James Straw, Chair, Abraham Lincoln Founcation; Carol Clark Lawrence, Chair,
O. V. Catto Memorial Fund; Frank Giordano, President, The Union League of Philadelphia;
James Kenney, Member at Large, City Council of Philadelphia
(PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 14, 2006) -- The Board of Trustees for the O. V. Catto Memorial Fund along with a group of prominent local citizens and governmental officials held a press conference today to announce the kickoff of a $1.5 million fundraising campaign to erect a memorial statue to Octavius Valentine Catto – an upstanding citizen and civil rights leader who rose to prominence in Philadelphia during the 1860s. Frank Giordano, President of the Union League Board and Jim Straw, Chairman of The Abraham Lincoln Foundation of the Union League, presented a $25,000 check to the O. V. Catto Memorial Fund Chairperson, Carol Lawrence.
 Mayor John F. Street speaks of the importance of learning about Philadelphia heroes such as O.V. Catto as James Straw and Carol Clark Lawrence look on. |
Attending the press conference were Mayor John F. Street, Robert Bogle, President of the Philadelphia Tribune, members of the Board of the Union League of Philadelphia, and the board of the Abraham Lincoln Foundation.
Philadelphia City Councilman James Kenney -- one of the original driving forces behind the effort to erect a statue to Catto -- was also present. "O.V. Catto deserves a place of public honor and recognition as one of Philadelphia’s truly great citizens. I am proud to be a part of this effort to give long overdue recognition to this great man," Councilman Kenney said.
V. Chapman-Smith, from the National Archives, spoke to the significance of O. V. Catto and also announced plans for Catto to be featured in National History Day in the spring of 2007. This honor would ensure that O. V. Catto take his place in national history.
Born in 1839 in Charleston, South Carolina, O. V. Catto was a prominent African American scholar and educator, eventually becoming a professor at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia (later named Cheyney University). The Catto family moved to Philadelphia in 1844, a city where blacks could legally learn to read and write. At that time, Philadelphia had the largest free black population of any city in the nation.
Catto was a member of the Union League Association, The Franklin Institute, The Philadelphia Library Company, and the 4th Ward Black Political Club. He was an officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard He served as the manager for the Pythian Baseball Club, an all black team where he was 2nd baseman. After attending a convention in Syracuse, New York, Catto returned to Philadelphia and formed the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Equal Rights League. As a Union Army Major in the National Guard, Catto was instrumental in recruiting "colored troops" to fight for the Union and in fighting for their right to participate as soldiers.
By the 1860s, Catto had risen to prominence because of his leadership in a number of issues affecting the citizens of Philadelphia including the "Bill of Rights" that made it possible for African Americans to ride the inside of streetcars in the City of Philadelphia. He was an outspoken advocate for equal voting rights for African Americans, a cause that cost him his life at the young age of 32. His murder on Election Day, October 10, 1871, was part of an organized effort to discourage African Americans from voting.
"In addition to informing the public about this early civil rights leader, the memorial presents opportunities to provide new chapters in the ever unfolding story of American history and to stimulate a continuing dialog about civic responsibility," said Carol Lawrence. The O.V. Catto Memorial will be located on the apron of City Hall. When completed, it will become the first public sculpture to honor a person of African American heritage in the City of Philadelphia and will take its place among the iconic sites that make Philadelphia a city rich in cultural heritage.