By Catherine Lang-Cline
Central Park in New York City has 23 statues adorning the many walkways. Not a single one of them is depicting a real woman. Not one. Mother Goose is as close as it gets. That will be changing soon as on the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment there are plans to erect a bronze statue of New Yorkers Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth in August 2020. Yes, this is progress, but considering that there are less than 400 statues of women in the USA, we have some room to improve.
Representation is incredibly important and incredibly overlooked, so let’s fix some of that and go “all-in” this Women’s History Month by recognizing some of the amazing women that have made history, the legends that they are. Here are just a few:
Madam C. J. Walker, the first self-made female millionaire businesswoman
Katherine Johnson of Hidden Figures fame. Learn more about Katherine here.
Geraldine Mock, the first woman to successfully fly an airplane around the world
Elizabeth Blackwell is the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States
Harriet Tubman, famous conductor of the underground railroad
Hattie Caraway, the first woman elected to the Senate
Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist and became the first American woman in space
Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the second female justice of four to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. (You know what, let’s just bronze all of “the Supremes.”)
Kathryn Bigelow is the first and only woman to date to win an Oscar for directing. She won for The Hurt Locker in 2009
Madeleine Albright was the first female United States Secretary of State in U.S. history, Condoleezza “Condi” Rice also served as United States Secretary of State
Need to know more history-making women? (I know this is so interesting and there are so many!)I have recommended the book, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls to a lot of people of all ages. Mostly because it is a beautiful illustrative book honoring lots of women by telling their story and matching it to a beautiful image of that featured women. If you love stories, art, and women, don’t hesitate to find it or gift it. It celebrates the female writers, physicians, lawyers, business owners, musicians, artists, Nobel Prize winners, public servants, etc., etc., etc. Did I mention that there are two volumes? These could make great reference books for someone considering adding a bronze statue to a garden.
If you can’t add a bronze statue somewhere, here are a few other easier ways you can celebrate this month. Support women-owned businesses. Support a women’s non-profit. Write a thank-you note to a woman you admire. Support women authors and artists. Mentor a girl. Find your inner “shero” and put her on a pedestal because to all you ladies, we are making history.
