News
A Crack in the Glass Ceiling
Press Release | November 6, 2023
House Votes to Honor American Women’s Suffrage Movement with First Women’s History Monument on the National Mall
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a unanimous vote in the U.S. House of Representatives today, the country is one step closer to celebrating women’s contributions to American democracy on the National Mall, the Nation’s most important commemorative space.
“As millions of Americans and visitors from around the world journey to our Nation's capital to learn about the history of the United States, the National Mall serves as a central location for commemorating our country's journey,” noted Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. “The monuments and memorials situated here form an essential part of our historical narrative. Including a new memorial honoring the legacy of the women's suffrage movement on the National Mall will further enrich the story of our nation's growth and progress.”
The bipartisan and bicameral Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act (H.R.1318/S. 886) was introduced in the 118th Congress by Representative Neguse (D-CO) and Representative Lesko (R-AZ) and Senator Baldwin (D-WI) and Senator Blackburn (R-TN). The legislation authorizes the congressionally chartered Women’s Suffrage National Monument to be placed on a site of the utmost prominence in the Reserve on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on H.R. 1318 on July 13, 2023 and quickly passed the legislation out of committee by a vote of 32-0 on July 26, 2023. The Senate Energy committee held a hearing on the companion bill, S. 886, on June 21, 2023.
Representative Joe Neguse, sponsor of H.R. 1318, noted in his speech yesterday on the floor of the House of Representatives, "This is a profoundly important bill....women's history deserves a place on our National Mall." Neguse continued, "On a more personal note, I, like many of my colleagues, am a father. I have a 5 year old daughter and a 5 month old son. I simply cannot wait for her to one day come to Washington, D.C. to see women's history reflected in the monuments and memorials that are at the core of our Nation's capital. Not just her, but all children, all Americans."
Added Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, “As our nation prepares to honor the 250th year of American democracy, it is more urgent than ever that the monuments and memorials on the National Mall fully reflect the richness of the American story. The Women's Suffrage National Monument belongs in Constitution Gardens, and as the lead Republican sponsor of H.R. 1318, I applaud my fellow lawmakers in the House for their overwhelming bipartisan support and swift action on this bill. I urge the Senate to act quickly to ensure that the 36 million people who visit our National Mall each year finally see women's contributions to American democracy represented.”
Anna Laymon, Executive Director of the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, is grateful for the House's history-making leadership to address the lack of women’s representation in America’s most visited National Park. “Of the 40 commemorative works and historic sites on the National Mall, 22 (55%) are dedicated to singular men. 10 are dedicated to military veterans and war history, three to foreign relations, two to private organizations, one to America’s postal history, one to America’s canal history, and one to the history of horses on the National Mall. Zero of the 40 commemorative works on the National Mall are dedicated to American women’s history. Amongst our most iconic monuments and memorials, American women’s stories are missing. But today, the U.S. House of Representatives took an extraordinary and unprecedented step forward in righting this historic wrong. Because of our champions in the House, there is now a crack in this glass ceiling. Will it shatter? That is for the U.S. Senate to decide.”
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