Five reasons Ohio should put a woman in Statuary Hall

As the battle to choose a new statue to represent Ohio in National Statuary Hall (NSH) rages on, Equal Visibility Everywhere continues to advocate for one of the three women candidates: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Taylor Upton, or Judith Resnik. Why is EVE so committed to a woman candidate? Today, ninety years after women won the right to vote, the symbolic representation of women by our government in the U.S. Capitol Building is abysmal. From the frieze and paintings in the Capitol Rotunda that depict our nation’s history to the statues in National Statuary Hall, women are noticeably absent. Does this exclusion of women matter? Here are five compelling reasons why it does and why Ohio should put a woman in National Statuary Hall.

National Statuary Hall Presents an Outdated View of American History – The United States claims to be a post-racial, post-gender country, but our laws are made in the U.S. Capitol which is rife with male imagery. The Capitol Rotunda contains a frieze that depicts our nation’s history in nineteen scenes. In the entire surround there is only a single identifiable woman, Pocahontas, in the scene John Smith and Pocahontas. Below the frieze, eight paintings, each twelve feet by eighteen feet, adorn the Rotunda. gain the only identifiable woman is Pocahontas in the painting The Baptism of Pocahontas.

National Statuary Hall, located between the Rotunda and the House of Representatives, was created in 1864 out of the old House of Representatives chamber. It is a majestic place of honor for statues of two Americans from each of the fifty states. In National Statuary Hall there are presidents, senators, governors, religious leaders, soldiers, writers, inventors, artists, educators, and even an astronaut, but only nine of the 100 statues in National Statuary Hall are of women. Almost half of the statues were placed in National Statuary Hall before women had the right to vote or participate in government. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that states were allowed to change their statues. Now that they can, it’s time for a more balanced view of American History. …continue reading

The Connie Pillich Show

Ohio State Representative Connie Pillich has a local cable show, and the program she taped today featured advocates for each of the ten Statuary Hall nominees from Ohio.

If you’re in Ohio, check out the attached airtimes for Waycross Community Media (on Government Access 23-Time Warner Cable) and the Intercommunity Cable Regulatory Commission’s Cablecast Replay Schedule (CMHtime0510.pdf and CPSreplay1hourshow-4.doc).

If you are outside of the viewing area, you can watch the show online after the first playback on May 10th at: http://www.waycross.tv/Columbus_Report.

Pictures from Who Should Stand For Ohio Day

We have pictures from the May 1 event at the Ohio Historical Center! There was a table for each candidate for Statuary Hall:

You can see all the photos from the event on Flickr: Who Should Stand for Ohio Day at the Ohio Historical Center.

All-male panel discusses who should represent Ohio in Statuary Hall

The above is just a screen capture; you’ll have to go here to watch the video.

The program is WBGU’s “NW Ohio Journal,” broadcast on April 28. Four very distinguished gentlemen discuss National Statuary Hall and the ongoing vote to determine who will replace the statue of Gov. Allen.

Considering EVE’s concern with the near-total absence of women from Statuary Hall—and from most all the other monuments and memorials and museums in the country—the all-male composition of this panel strikes us as unfortunate.

Who Should Stand for Ohio Day: Saturday, May 1, 2010

Mark your calendar for this weekend:

Who: The Ohio Historical Society and National Statuary Collection Study Committee

What: Who Should Stand for Ohio Day

Where: Ohio Historical Center, I-71 and 17th Avenue, Columbus

When: Saturday, May 1, 2010; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Why:

Learn and vote! The Ohio Historical Center will open its doors free to the public as advocates for the 10 nominees to as Ohio’s representative to National Statuary Hall will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to talk to visitors and provide educational displays and information. Attendees also will be able to vote for the candidate of their choice as the Ohio Historical Center is one of 36 voting locations at historic sites and museums statewide. The proceedings will be overseen by the Mayor of Ohio Village (aka OHS historical interpreter Michael Follin). …continue reading

Two letters for Harriet Taylor Upton from Ohio school children

I’ve been posting some of the letters from school children to the Ohio Statuary Committee (here and here) and today I’d like to share two more with you:

1. Jada at Morgan Elementary supports Harriet Taylor Upton (upton_jada.pdf):
   

   “I think she should be a statue in D.C. because if she wasn’t there at that time women wouldn’t be able to vote. And we wouldn’t have equal rights.”

2. Hope at Morgan Elementary also supports Upton (upton_hope.pdf):
   

   “I think Harriet Taylor Upton because she won women’s right to vote. Without her girls would still not be voting.”

Sometimes children have insight that adults lack. It’s interesting to compare the letters of these children to the comments posted (presumably by adults) on so many Ohio newspaper websites. Adults seem to be enamored of the famous people, the people with household names — the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison. In contrast, these elementary school students are unconcerned with how well-known the candidate is. They’re interested in what the person actually accomplished.

“Without her girls would still not be voting.”

Can’t argue with that.

Ohio statue project is on iTunes and Twitter!

This is cool: the Ohio Historical Society has partnered with iTunes to feature “Who Should Stand for Ohio,” a series of podcasts discussing the 10 candidates for Statuary Hall.

Right now iTunes is featuring the podcasts under its “New & Notable” section in its History category. You can also click on the iTunes link at left to go straight to the full track listing. All the podcasts are free.

Also, the Ohio Statuary Committee is on Twitter @ohiostatuary (http://twitter.com/ohiostatuary). They’re posting fun and noteworthy facts regarding each one of 10 finalists every day until June 12th. For example, did you know that Judith Resnik was the first American Jewish astronaut to go into space?

More letters from Ohio school children

The other day I posted a few of the wonderful student letters that the Ohio Statuary Committee was kind enough to share with us, and I promised there would be more to come. These letters are so delightful to read, and really show how seriously the students are taking their responsibility. (We’ve blocked out the last names of the students for privacy.)

Today’s selection is two letters in favor of Harriet Beecher Stowe:

1. Ally at Morgan Elementary explains why she chose Harriet Beecher Stowe: (stowe_ally.pdf):
   

   “I have decided Harriet Beecher Stowe because she stopped slavery. It’s very sad about slaves. They could still exist.”

2. Tony supports Harriet Beecher Stowe as well: (stowe_tony.pdf):
   

   “I think Harriet B. Stowe should be a statue because she was against slavery and she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin which helped end slavery.”

More letters to come!

Ohio Historical Center To Host “Who Should Stand For Ohio?” Day

The Ohio Historical Society is sponsoring a special event on Saturday, May 1, to help people learn more about the 10 nominees for Statuary Hall. It’s free to the public and will be held at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus.

Here’s the press release from the Ohio Historical Society:

Ohio Historical Center To Host “Who Should Stand For Ohio?” Day
Public Can Learn More About State’s 10 Nominees to National Statuary Hall at Free Event

(COLUMBUS, OHIO)–Through June 12, Ohioans of all ages can vote for who they think should stand for Ohio in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. The Ohio Historical Center in Columbus will be hosting “Who Should Stand For Ohio?” Day, a free informational event Saturday, May 1 to encourage voters to learn more about the 10 nominees for the honor.

“We hope that people will take this opportunity to learn more about the contributions that these great Ohioans made to our nation,” said Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of the Ohio Historical Society. “While some of these candidates are well known, others are not as recognizable. We organized this event to increase awareness so voters can make an informed decision.” …continue reading

Ohio school children learn about the women in Ohio’s history

In January I flew to Ohio to testify before the Statuary Committee and urge them to select a woman as Ohio’s new representative in Statuary Hall. A month later, when the Statuary Committee released its list of 10 finalists, it was gratifying to learn that 3 women had made the cut.

Even more gratifying is the fact that these women are no longer invisible. All over the state of Ohio, students of all ages are researching the statue candidates, preparing reports, and writing to the Statuary Committee. These young Ohioans are also getting a chance to vote for who they believe should be in National Statuary Hall, and by their letters to the Statuary Committee it is evident that they are taking their votes very seriously.

EVE is privileged that the Statuary Committee has shared some of these student letters with us, and I’d like to share them with you. The last names of the students have been blocked out to ensure their privacy, but we guarantee the authenticity of the letters. I hope you enjoy them and the insight they provide into the minds of America’s children. …continue reading

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