New statue in Aurora honors Dr. Justina Ford, trailblazing Colorado physician

The Aurora Highlands development now features a bronze sculpture featuring Dr. Justina Ford. Ford was Colorado's first Black female doctor. She delivered more than 7,000 babies and cared for immigrants, people of color and the impoverished for five decades from her home in Denver.

The new statue sits near the front of the community's clocktower entrance and features Ford sitting on a bench and holding a baby.

The sculpture was created by British and Australian artists Gillie and Marc, who founded a movement called Statues for Equality. The movement aims to balance gender and racial representation in public art.

Hogan Park at Highlands Creek, which sits in The Aurora Highlands community, features 20 art installations and more are planned. Carla Ferreira, director of onsite development and principal at The Aurora Highlands, runs the Art in the Park program. She chose Ford as the subject of the Statues for Equality project.

"Carla did the research to determine what woman from this area she would like to have created in bronze," said Roberta Bloom, Public Art Supervisor for Aurora's Art in Public Places. "I think her choice of Dr. Justina Ford is a really great representation for Aurora, which is really known for its diversity and lots of immigrants and people who are striving to build lives for themselves against many challenges just as Justina Ford did."