Central Park Women's Suffrage Monument Gets Redesign

CENTRAL PARK, NY — A monument to the women's suffrage movement set to be unveiled in Central Park in 2020 has been redesigned to address criticism that the original design neglected the contributions of African-American suffragettes.

The new version of the statue — still designed by artist Meredith Bergmann — will feature Sojourner Truth in addition to Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, the group funding the statue's creation announced Monday. Critics of the original design claimed that depicting only Stanton and Anthony diminished the contributions of African-American women in the suffrage movement.

The design approved by the city Public Design Commission differed from the original vision of the monument which would have included a scroll of names and quotes from 22 leaders of the suffrage movement, of which seven were African-American. The Monumental Women’s Statue Fund pushed for a redesign after the commission made them remove the scroll from the design.

"Our goal has always been to honor the diverse women in history who fought for equality and justice and who dedicated their lives to the fight for Women's Rights. We want to tell their stories and help create a full and fair historical record of their vast and varied contributions," Pam Elam said in a statement.

The Woman Suffrage Movement Monument will be the first new commemorative monument in Central Park since 1965. Of the city parks system's 850 monuments, only four currently commemorate the achievements of historic women. Figures deemed worthy of statues in Central Park currently include Christopher Columbus, King Wladysław II Jagiello and the sled dog Balto.

The city Public Design Commission, which passed the previous design unanimously, is currently reviewing the amended design, a spokesperson for the statue fund said. The statue is set to grace the Central Park Mall in 2020, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, which extended the right to vote to women nationwide.

Images of the redesigned statue could not be released because the city is still in the process of approving the new design, a spokesperson for the statue fund said. Sculptor Meredith Bergmann said in a statement that the three women depicted will "represent an essential aspect of activism."

"Sojourner Truth is speaking, Susan B. Anthony is bringing documentation of injustice, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton is poised to write. Girls and boys who encounter this monument will see a positive image of diverse women working together to change the world," Bergmann said in a statement.