NYC Wants To Build A New Monument To Women

NEW YORK, NY — Central Park has more than 20 monuments to men but just one to a woman: Alice from "Alice in Wonderland." New York City's leading ladies want to change that by commissioning a new artwork honoring remarkable women from local history based on nominations from New Yorkers.

"Finding monuments that honor women should not be a scavenger hunt," first lady Chirlane McCray said at a news conference.

The new "She Built NYC" initiative announced Wednesday aims to address the lack of public tributes to women in a city where about 90 percent of the monuments honor men, according to Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen.

New Yorkers can submit nominations until Aug. 1 for women, groups of women or events in women's history that they think the new monument should venerate.

Nominated individuals must be dead and known for an event, movement or action that happened at least 20 years ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio's office said. Events must have taken place at least that long ago. There's no time requirement for groups, such as single mothers or domestic workers.

A 19-member panel will create a list of nominees for the monument this fall based on the public submissions. The Department of Cultural Affairs will make a final decision before announcing the work's subject and location in January, city officials said.

The effort follows recommendations from Mayor Bill de Blasio's special monuments commission that the city build new works honoring marginalized people to accompany controversial statues of violent historical figures such as Christopher Columbus.

"When there are no representations of the women who built this city, women of all ethnicities, the message is that women’s contributions are worth less than men’s," McCray said.

Some nominations are already in. Broadway actress Condola Rashad suggested Audre Lorde, the acclaimed poet and activist, while Girl Scout Mia Emanuel proposed Juliette Gordon Low, who founded Girl Scouts in the U.S. in 1912.

"If young people see it, they will believe that they can be it," Rashad said.

What notable woman or event do you think the new statue should honor? Tell us in the comments, or submit a nomination at women.nyc.

This story has been updated to clarify the criteria for nominating people whom the new monument could honor.

(Lead image: The actress Condola Rashad speaks at a news conference announcing a plan to build a new city monument honoring women. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)