Former Wilmington Mayor James H. Sills was honored with a statue made by sculptor Jon D. Hair.
The unveiling Saturday included speeches from elected officials, community leaders, and a special note from the President of the United States, read by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D).
Sills was elected Wilmington’s mayor in 1993, making him the first African American mayor in city history. But his legacy extends beyond mayoral responsibilities. Sills worked in public and community service for 60 years.
Sills moved to Wilmington in 1959, and worked for the Family Court of Delaware and served as president of the Wilmington NAACP.
From 1972 to 1997 he taught at the University of Delaware, and is honored as a professor emeritus of the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration.
From 1984 to 1992, Sills served in the Delaware House of Representatives as the representative for the Third District.
At the event, Sills reflected on his start in Wilmington. He says he came to the city ready to improve the lives of the people within it.
“One of my favorite historians was WEB Dubois, who wrote a lot, was a noted advocate for racial and social equality, and he coined the phrase called ‘the Talented Tenth.’ And he had this notion that if we were going to achieve social equality in America, we had to rely upon Black leaders, college educated leaders, who would ultimately become a part of the Talented Tenth, who would go out and do good, and were trying to make the world a better palace in which to live,” explained Sills. “I came to Wilmington in 1959 imbued with the philosophy of WEB Dubois. Wanting to come and try to help Wilmington to be a better place in which to live, and to be a part of that Talented Tenth. I hope I have contributed to that.”
Sills is known in Delaware for his commitment to serving “all of the people,” and to creating “a Wilmington that works for all.”
Sen. Tom Carper (D) says he worked closely with Sills while he was Governor.
“One of the things that I remember Jim Sills saying to me when I was Governor was he said: ‘In order for Delaware to be successful, Wilmington has to be successful.’ Think about that. In order for Delaware to be successful, the City of Wilmington,” said Carper. “And he and I worked for 8 years together to try to make sure that both the State of Delaware and the City of Wilmington were successful.”
Carper adds both are successful today, and far more successful than they would have been without Sills' leadership.
Blunt Rochester spoke candidly to Sills at the event. She says after she won her first election, her father handed her a business card with a note included on the back.
“He wrote on the back, you become what you see, unless you see what you want to become,” said Blunt Rochester. “I am standing here as the first Black person, the first woman, to represent Delaware in Congress because I saw you! So thank you, thank you!”
Sills’ statue stands at the intersection of South Park Drive and North Market St. in Wilmington, right next to the Mayor James Sills Bridge that goes over the Brandywine River.
