Put a Woman in Ohio’s Statuary Hall

National Statuary Hall (NSH) which is located in the Capitol is comprised of 100 statues, two from each state. Ninety-one of the statues are of men and nine statues are of women.

The Ohio State Legislature has decided to replace the statue of Governor Allen, currently in National Statuary Hall with a new statue.  An Ad Hoc group of  women are putting pressure on the Ohio Legislature to select a women.  They think Harriet Beecher Stowe is the perfect choice.  She lived almost twenty years in Ohio and did all her research for UNCLE TOM’S CABIN there.  

They feel the lack of women in National Statuary Hall is significant since it sends the wrong message to women and girls about the role of women in American history and is representative of the insidious and pervasive sexism in our country .

Please email the OH State Senate with a simple message: You want them to put a woman in Statuary Hall.  kstrobel@senate.state.oh.us

Sample Letter:

Dear Senator Mark Wagoner’s Committee:

Please choose Annie Oakley or Harriet Beecher Hall for Statuary Hall.

Annie Oakley (Annie Get Your Gun) was a world famous sharpshooter and star of “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” show. She was less well-known for other important contributions to our country. According to Dorchester Public Library, “When the United States was pulled into World War I, Annie Oakley offered to raise a regiment of woman volunteers to fight in the war. She had made the same offer during the Spanish-American War. At neither time was that offer accepted. She also offered to teach marksmanship to the troops. She did travel across the country for the National War Council of the Young Men’s Christian Association and War Camp Community Service. At stops at training camps, she gave shooting demonstrations. She also raised money for the Red Cross.”

According to Wikipedia, Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) depicted life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the U.S. and Britain and made the political issues of the 1850s regarding slavery tangible to millions, energizing anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. Upon meeting Stowe, Abraham Lincoln allegedly remarked, “So you’re the little lady who started this great war!”

The lack of women in National Statuary Hall is significant since it sends the wrong message to women and girls about the role of women in American history and is representative of the insidious and pervasive sexism in our country.  Please help correct this by choosing one of the heroic women above.  Thank you very much for any consideration.

Sincerely,
Your Name

COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 277 created the National Statuary Collection Study Committee to accomplish the task. Committee members are Chairman Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Ottawa Hills; Vice Chairman Rep. Tom Letson, D-Warren; Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo; Rep. Richard Adams, R-Troy; Sen. Karen Gillmor, R-Tiffin; and Rep. Tyrone Yates, D-Cincinnati. The committee is to present a formal recommendation for a replacement statue to the Ohio General Assembly.

Chair: Senator Mark Wagoner  SD02@senate.state.oh.us   614-466-8060
Co Chair: Tom Letson  district64@ohr.state.oh.us   614-466-5358
Rep.Richard Adams  district79@ohr.state.oh.us 614-4668114
Rep. Tyrone Yates district33@ohr.state.oh.us   614-466-1308
Senator Teresa Fedor SD11@mail.sen.state.oh.us   614-466-5204
Senator Karen Gillmor  SD26@senate.state.oh.us    614-466-8049

NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
The article, “Ohio Looks to Replace Capitol Delegate” is linked here. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/us/27ohio.html

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