Today marks the 130th anniversary of the delivery of the Statue of Liberty to the United States. Elizabeth Mitchell wrote about the Statue of Liberty and its creator, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi in her book, Liberty’s Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty. In an article in American Profile’s Community Table, Mitchell shared 10 interesting things we probably don’t know about this American icon. My favorite one? Women suffragettes waged a protest at the unveiling!
When it was unveiled in October 1886, women’s rights groups lamented that an enormous female figure would stand in New Your harbor representing liberty, when most American women had no liberty to vote….Suffragettes chartered a boat to circle the island during the unveiling. They blasted protest speeches, but those could not be heard over the din of steam whistles and cannon blasts in the harbor.
The Statue of Liberty remains a symbol of American freedom, and most women in this country have more freedom than they did in 1866. But when it comes to issues like domestic violence, college sexual assault, the absence of veteran’s services for women, pay inequality, media bias, and other issues that affect today’s women and girls, I can’t help but feel a bit like those suffragettes.
Even when we make a lot of noise, are we really being heard?
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Cathy Standiford is passionately committed to improving the lives of women and girls, locally and globally, and advocating for their basic human rights. Cathy served as 2009-2010 President of Soroptimist International of the Americas, LiveYourDream.org’s sponsoring organization: a global volunteer organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. |