TRAILBLAZING WOMEN OF WESTERN NEW YORK MONUMENT PROJECT

1. TRAILBLAZING WOMEN OF WESTERN NEW YORK MONUMENT PROJECT INITIATED BY THE ERIE COUNTY COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

2. “Buffalo has always had clever women. We are told that had a sketch of the town been written when our century was young, justice would have demanded that many tributes be paid to the worth and brilliancy of the womenwho at that time shone in constellated brightness among the pioneer homes of the “Queen City” of the Lakes…. There are faces that will now and then steal from out the mists of time to remind Buffalo of a heritage of gentle femininity and intellectually---An inheritance the same in kind which the American woman in general has received from her Colonial predecessor.--- Self reliance and a more systematic mental training have been added to the birthright, and the unique nineteenth century womanhood is here.” Some Distinguished Women of Buffalo, October 7, 1893

3. What is a Hidden History? “The term “Hidden History” is used when the history of a hitherto neglected group begins to appear: as, for example, in the case of black history, women’s history, lesbian and gay history…The phrase is not simply used to describe the group’s emergence into mainstream history: it also has an explicit message that these groups have lacked a history because society has been unwilling to see them as a separate group with particular rights. Groups hidden from history are hidden for three reasons. They are hidden because of prejudices against the group in the past, because of modern prejudices; and because of the absence of records.” Anne Lawrence, Women in England in 1500-1760: A Social History

4. Museums/Libraries provide the forum for intellectual engagement and the vessel for collections of our “hidden histories” Library of Congress, Washington, DC

5. Monuments provide validation in the public realm Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC

6. Monuments to Women in our Public Spaces Great Britain: 925 Public Statues 158 Statues to Women 17% (110 allegorical, 29 to Queen Victoria) United States 5,193 Public Statues 394 Statues to Women 8% US National Parks 411 Parks 9 Parks Dedicated to Women 2% Buffalo 106 Public Statues 2 Statues to Women 2%

7. November 6, 1917:  Women win the right to vote in New York State August 18, 1920: 19th Amendment to the US Constitution granted American women the right to vote • Founder of the Buffalo Fitch Creche • Monumental in laying groundwork for case-based segment of Social Work profession

8. What Happened in Lafayette Square (1879-1890) • October 1879: Ladies Union Monument Association raised the funds to erect the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument • October, 1881: 9th Congress for Advancement of Women • October, 1876-1881: Louise (Blanchard) Bethune apprenticed for an architect, opened her own architecture firm and built her opus • October 1888: Western Association of Architects and American Institution of Architects Negotiated Merger

9. BUFFALO PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1887 The City’s Parlor

10. Louise Blanchard Bethune, FAIA • First professional woman architect in the U.S. • First woman admitted to the American Institute of Architects • First Woman Fellow of the American Institute of Architects • Architect of Hotel Lafayette

11. Buffalo Women’s Wheel and Athletic Club Archive in Grosvnor Library “I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world…It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can't get into harm unless she gets off her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.” Champion of Her Sex, New York Sunday World, 2 February 1896, Susan B. Anthony • Charter member of Buffalo Women’s Wheel and Athletic Club • First Woman in Buffalo to Own a Bicycle

12. Bethune’s Opus “one of the most perfectly appointed and magnificent hotels in the country” The New York Times, June 2, 1904

13. Every woman her own architect Louise Bethune toast at Women’s Wheel and Athletic Club Annual Dinner. April 29 1891

14. Resolution for Louise Bethune, FAIA Monument We, the attendees of the 47th Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women support promoting the legacy of Louise Bethune, FAIA, the first professional woman architect in the United States. These promotional efforts include locating a commemorative statue/monument at the Erie County Public Library and the production of a documentary film of her life and career. *Endorsed by the Women’s Action Coalition at the National Association of Commissions for Women Annual Conference, July 14, 2017

15. Second Monument: Mary Talbert • International civil rights leader • Founder of NAACP • Appointee to Women’s Committee on International Relations after WWI • Attendee of Fifth Congress of the International Council of Women • Admitted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame

16. Third Monument: Geraldine “Gawö:sid-tah” Green • Member of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nation • Venerable fluent speakers of the Seneca language • Devoted educator of her Haudenosaunee traditions • Leader in the Newtown Longhouse, serving in the role of head women’s faithkeeper for the animal clans • Celebrated leader regionally, nationally and internationally

17. Projected Costs and Funding Sources • Project goal for 3 monuments: Statues $500,000 including installation • Funding for the entire project will be ENTIRELY supported by philanthropy and grants