Sharp was one of the advocates for open housing laws, which she considered a civil right.

Her fight for open housing resulted in a ban against discriminatory practices that kept racial minorities from buying a home in East Lansing.

Sharp also helped write the original legislation commanding community involvement with suspected child abuse.

Sharp, who passed away in February 2006, was the first legal counsel on human rights to the MSU president.

She served as a member of the Michigan Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, Greater Lansing Urban League and other community and state organizations.

Mary Sharp, daughter of Mary P. Sharp, was the main family member involved in the sculpture project.

“It was overwhelming when the family found out they wanted to create a statue in honor of our mother,” she said. “The second (request for proposal) brought in this more exciting combination of things that had more personality and potential for nailing the essence of my mom.”

Among the people in attendance were Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Michael Harrison, who came up with the initial idea to have a dedication, East Lansing Mayor Diane Goddeeris, Michael Koppisch, representative of the East Lansing’s Art Commission and Mary P. Sharp’s family members.

Koppisch said they sent out a call for artists across the U.S. and received more than 30 responses. Then the art selection panel, a group of professional artists in the area appointed by the city council, made recommendations of artists for the rest of the commission to choose.

Chosen artist Richard Taylor from Milwaukee said the inspiration behind the sculpture was the diversity Mary P. Sharp strived to bring to the community.

“She, of course, was a champion of racial integration, so I thought maybe the theme of diversity would be a good theme,” Taylor said. “That is why there are the diverse shapes, and yet those diverse shapes are used in a single composition. There is a metaphor there — many people living together in harmony.”

After driving with his wife from Milwaukee with the sculpture strapped on a trailer behind a pickup truck, Taylor said he was happy with how it was all set up.

“A crane met us here and I worked with an engineer who designed the base and then worked with landscape architects who designed the surroundings,” Taylor said.