Central New York Community Foundation Director Margaret Ogden is right.
Now is the time for Central New York to ante up and support the preservation of the rare Underground Railroad face sculptures lying uneasily inside a Syracuse church basement but headed to a museum in Cincinnati if something isn't done fast.
Ogden's group donated $20,000 to keep and preserve the rapidly deteriorating sculptures, believed to be carved by African captives awaiting passage to freedom on the Underground Railroad. The remarkable sculptures are in the basement of the former Wesleyan Methodist Church at 304 E. Onondaga St.
And the Rosamond Gifford Foundation this week donated $50,000 for the effort and will donate another $50,000 if people and businesses in the community match its contribution.
Now other groups and individuals should join this party with a purpose.
The alternative is that the pieces get shipped off to Cincinnati for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, scheduled to open in 2002.
Why Cincinnati? Because when lawyer Vaughn Lang (he owns the church in whose basement the sculptures rest) sought help to preserve and keep them here, too few people responded besides the Cincinnati officials and a handful of Syracuse leaders.
Vaughn promised the museum officials they'd get the sculptures in order to ensure the sculptures' survival.
Thanks to a deal made, a Syracuse task force that includes the Rev. Ronald Dewberry and Onondaga County Legislator Sam Roberts aims to raise $500,000 by April 1, which would fulfill an agreement that would keep the sculptures in town.
The money includes preservation expenses and a restitution deal with the Cincinnati museum for its expenses, as well as planning for a permanent home for the sculptures.
It's time for others with the means to raise or donate the money to step forward.
It is a worthwhile effort to make sure a piece of Syracuse's history of slavery and fighting against it will not be forgotten. It could wind up hundreds of miles away in Ohio. Or it could stay in Syracuse, where it was made, where it belongs, and where it can take its place as a significant piece to the city's historical framework from which both children and adults can draw a sense of direction.
First, the city must show there will be a consistent means of support and a suitable place to house the faces. That takes awareness, action and money.
The recent donations show those community assets do exist and that the ball is now rolling.
Ogden is right. Now is the time to keep it going.