Put Them On The Map

Let’s put ’em on the map. For self-identified mothers, procreators, women, and caregivers– history has not been kind.

Our world is topsy-turvy. We have abandoned countless generations of thought-leaders and sheroes. Women are woefully missing from memorials, sculptures, and monuments in America. A CNN article, written by Shachar Peled (2017), states the following:

Of the 5,575 outdoor sculpture portraits of historical figures in the United States, 559 portray women, a mere 10% of all statues, according to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s online inventories catalog. The National Park Service lists 152 monuments in the United States, which range from buildings to volcanoes and canyons. Only three (less than 2%) are dedicated to historic female figures: Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park in Maryland, the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument in the District of Columbia, and the Rose Atoll in the US territory of American Samoa, named for a female explorer. All three have been established in the past decade. None of the 30 national memorials managed under the park service specifically honor women, though there’s one named after a shrub, the four-wing saltbush (Chamizal).

The MoM collection includes a recent “City of Women” map “drawn by cartographer Molly Roy. It is “meant to empower everyday women who are used to dealing with a heteronormative culture. Living in a city bombarded by the names of men can reinforce the notion that women should feel less entitled to occupy space in a male-dominated society — in other words, this “amplifies male identity and withers female identity.” Bustle Magazine (2017)

If you find out about an organization that features the achievements of women in history or honors mothers, please let us know. Together we can share the narratives that will shift perceptions to a more inclusive world.

The Shirley Chisholm Monument in Brooklyn Finds Its Designers – The New York Times (2019)

Idea B. Wells Parkway, Chicago, Il (2019)

Susan B. Anthony House, Rochester, NY (2013)

Harriet Tubman Statue, Harlem, NY (2010)

Katy B. Stanton Birthplace Home, Johnston, NY (2008)

Museum of Motherhood, New York, NY & the MoM Art Annex, St. Petersburg, FL (2003)

Anne Hutchinson River Pkwy, Pelham, NY (2002)

The First Ladies Library, Canton, Ohio (1994)

International Mothers’ Day Shrine, Ana Jarvis, Grafton, WV (1970)

National Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, NY (1969)

Women’s Rights National Historic Park and the Katy Stanton House, Seneca Falls, NY (1965)

Pocahontas Statue, Jamestown, VA (1922)