A group of young feminists took to the streets for a big cause last week chanting, “Where are the women?” as they marched down Central Park West, sporting sunflower crowns reminiscent of the women’s suffrage movement of the 1860s. These 10 girls, of Girl Scout Troop 3484, are raising funds for the first monument to women in Central Park.
The proposed statue would honor suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and would be the first of the statues in the park to depict non-fictional women. Currently, there are 22 statues of historical male figures, but the only female representation includes Mother Goose and Alice in Wonderland. And, as one of the girls, Stori Small, told ABC, “We don’t want to grow up to be Alice in Wonderland.”
This project stems from Coline Jenkins, the great-granddaughter of Stanton, who has been pushing the idea for years. The monument was approved by the Parks Commissioner in 2014, and $170,000 of the $400,000-$600,000 needed has been raised by the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund, Inc., since. The ambitious girls of Troop 3484 think they can contribute substantially to that fund.
Troop co-leader Bridget Small told DNA Info the troop donated $4,400 from Girl Scout cookie sales to the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Services for homeless vets last year. They hope to raise at least that much for the statue fund through donations obtained from the area where they stand every Thursday on Central Park West and West 77th Street. With cookie season fast approaching, they’re sure to draw in more foot traffic in the coming months.
Once the funds are raised, the monument will be built on the southwest corner of the West 77th Street entrance to Central Park. The base of the statue will also include the names of other women who were vital in the women’s suffrage movement.
You can help Jenkins and the enterprising young ladies of Troop 3484 reach their goal by donating here.
Photos via Youtube and The Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund
Video via Youtube
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