COUNTDOWN TO AUGUST 26, 2020:
The 100th anniversary of the ratificationof the 19th Amendment and the unveiling ofthe first statue of real women in Central Park.
“A rebel! How glorious the name sounds when applied to woman. Oh, rebellious woman, to you the world looks in hope. Upon you has fallen the glorious task of bringing liberty to the earth and the inhabitants thereof.” - Matilda Joslyn Gage, suffragist and champion of women in science. In 1870 Gage penned the essay "Woman as an Inventor" in which she chronicled cases where the contributions of women in the sciences were forgotten or credited to men. This phenomenon has been since dubbed the "Matilda effect" in her honor.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #100yearswomenvote #monumentalwomen #19thamendment #womeninstem #womeninscience #matildajoslyngage #thematildaeffect #womansuffrage #womenssuffrage #womensrights #womenshistory #americanhistory #sciencehistory
Florence Kelley, a women’s and labor rights activist, was born on September 12, 1859 in Philadelphia, PA. Kelley led protests against sweatshops and dangerous factory conditions and worked to end child labor. Selected as the first woman to be the first woman Chief Factory Inspector for the state of Illinois, her inability to force sweatshops to treat workers better inspired her to become a lawyer. In 1899, she moved to New York City and became the head of the National Consumers League (NCL). She advocated for equal rights for all women, including women of color. Kelley was a Vice President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), helped organize the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was a founding member of the Women’s International League for Peace. Sources: National Women’s History Museum . . . #100yearswomenvote #monumentalwomen #19thamendment #womansuffrage #womenssuffrage #naacp #womenshistory #blackhistory #womensrights #civilrights #laborrights #labormovement
There are 23 statues of historical figures in Central Park, but not one honors a woman. Together, we are changing that.
After years of work, we’ve won approval from the Parks Department to break the bronze ceiling and build a statue featuring New Yorkers Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth (abolitionists, suffragists, and women’s rights pioneers) in New York City’s Central Park. Now we have to raise funds to commission and maintain that statue as well as to support other components of our Monumental Women Campaign. In addition, we plan more statues to honor other valiant women as well as an extensive Women’s History Education Campaign to highlight the contributions of ALL women. We need your help.
WE ARE
Creating the first-ever statue honoring real women in the 165-year history of New York City’s Central Park
Writing all women back into the historical record through an inclusive education campaign in partnerships with museums and libraries
Challenging U.S. municipalities to recognize and honor the contributions of all women and people of color with tributes in their public spaces
A Polish king. A Venezuelan military leader. A Prussian naturalist. Even a sled dog. Alice in Wonderland and Mother Goose have statues in Central Park as does Juliet (with Romeo).
