Giant Sojourner Truth Statue

Battle Creek, Michigan

Not content to honor local hero Sojourner Truth at merely life- or even heroic-size, Battle Creek has recreated her as a bronze giant. Had Sojourner really been this big she might've had less need to tirelessly campaign for her various worthy causes, from the abolition of slavery to women's rights. But sometimes a normal-sized woman's accomplishments merit a big statue.

The sculpture, by artist Tina Allen, was unveiled in 1997, which is the guesstimated bicentennial of Sojourner's birth. No one knows exactly when that was, but Sojourner spent the last 16 years of her long life in Battle Creek, and she's buried nearby.