Search results for: DeDecker

Harriet Tubman, the human rights activist and Abolitionism icon, is commemorated with a statue, created by the known Colorado sculptress Jane DeDecker. Tubman was an enslaved woman who escaped to freedom. Her courage led her to become one of the most important figures at the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of slaves to their freedom. The bronze statue depicts Tubman holding the hand of a boy, guiding him along the Underground Railroad trail. A quote by Tubman’s is inscribed on the pedestal below: “Children if you are tired, keep going. If you’re hungry, keep going. If your scared, keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, Keep going” “Children if you are tired, keep going. If you’re hungry, keep going. If your scared, keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, Keep going”   Several identical copies of the statue are located across the US: Ypsilanti, Michigan – unveiled on May 21st, 2006. A plaque near the statue is describing Tubman’s life and legacy. Outside of City Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Campus of Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. It was given to the University in September 1997 and was placed near the library. In 2017, it was moved to the front lawn to be more accessible to the public. In Harriet Tubman Park in Las Sendas Mesa, Arizona – unveiled in 1995.   WordPress Google Maps Plugin Read more...

On October 10th, 2019, 100 years after Arkansas became the twelfth state to ratify the 19th Amendment that granted American women voting rights, a monument celebrating the event was dedicated at the Nineteenth Amendment Plaza in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden in Riverfront Park. Titled, Every Word We Utter, the monument depicts the national suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, alongside Little Rock’s Bernie Babcock, and Josephine Miller Brown. The base commemorates over a dozen other Arkansas women who fought for women’s rights. The famous Colorado sculptress Jane DeDecker designed and sculpted the bronze monument based on the concept of a droplet of water that falls into water, creates ripples, rises, and then returns down to it. The droplet symbolizes how suffrage has impacted women’s rights, the next generations- the daughters, on the social movements that came after them. More statues along the Arkansas River that honor women or were created by sculptress are: the Daisy Gatson Bates Bust by Jane DeDecker, Peace by Lorri Acott, Touch the Sky by Jane DeDecker, Harriet Tubman Statue by Jane DeDecker and Infinity by Kathleen Caricof. This is one of the many monuments erected throughout the country to commemorate the 100th 19th Amendment ratification. Click here to explore more. Read more...

In the heart of Estes Park town, the base of the Rocky Mountain National Park stands the Women’s Heritage Plaza, which is the home to Estes Park Women’s Monument, which celebrates and honors 12 historical and current women from the Estes Park community who have left their mark on the town and the Rocky Mountain area. Estes Park Women’s Monument Committee fundraised $100,000 and chose the renowned Colorado sculptress Jane DeDecker to design and create the monument. By sculpting pioneering women, DeDecker wishes to perpetuate their legacy and bring their stories to the public attention. The monument was dedicated on September 30th, 2021, and sits in a park-like setting along the Riverwalk in downtown Estes Park, near the playground. The interactive and educational monument commemorates the following women (presented here alphabetically): Alberta Sprague (1867-1949) and her family were among the first settlers of Estes Park who had funded and operated hotels in Moraine Park. Alberta was president of the Estes Park Woman’s Club (1926-27). Her husband, Abner, mapped the area in the 1890s and named the Alberta Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park after her. Enda Mills (1919-2009) was born, raised, and lived in Estes Park. Her social-political and environmental activism and love of nature were central to her life. Eleanor E. Hondius (1880-1968) managed Elkhorn Lodge for 18 years. She was a founding member of the Estes Park Woman’s Club, which helped establish the town’s first library in 1922. Her love of hiking drove her to support the conservation efforts in the Rocky Mountain region and the establishment of trails and roads in the area. “Eleanor Hondius Deer Mountain Trail” is named in her honor. Flora Stanley (1847-1939) was an educator, social activist, suffragist, and an active member of the Woman’s Club, which promoted trail building, the fish hatchery, and the town’s first library. Isabella Bird (1831-1904) was one of the first women explorers in the world. Among the many books she wrote about her adventures was A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains (1879) which brought many visitors to Estes Park and the Rockies. Bird was the first woman elected to Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Jean Weaver (1928-2017) climbed Longs Peak twelve times along with all 13,000+ feet peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. She advocated for local women to be active in the outdoors through skiing and hiking. In 1985, on behalf of her environmental work, she won multiple awards for establishing a successful and novel recycling program in Colorado. Jessica Chapin Macdonald (1874-1957) operated 1907-1928 the town’s general store and then the Macdonald Book Shop, which is still open today. Josephine (Josie) Hupp (1857-1932) was the successful owner of four of Estes Park’s downtown hotels and cafes. She also managed Estes Park’s post office from 1907-1914. Margaret Fuller Boos (1892-1978) was the first female ranger-naturalist at Rocky Mountain National Park (1928-29). She helped establish the Geology Department at the University of Denver and established scholarships for women students. Neinoo Biiti’owu’ Singing in Water represents the Native American women who lived harmonically with nature and preserved and protected the land for many generations. Olga Ortega (b. 1973) is a founding member of “Estes Park Gives Back” and supports local families in need. She helped implement the annual Cinco de Mayo celebrations in town. Wendy Koenig (b. 1955) was born and raised in Estes Park. She was a middle-distance runner who competed in the 800 meters at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Since 2020, she has served as the Mayor of Estes Park. Read more...

In 1949, after getting rejected twice, Nancy Randolph Davis made history when she became the first African-American student at Oklahoma A&M College, today Oklahoma State University. Davis was not allowed to reside on campus and during the first weeks was not allowed to sit inside the classroom, so she sat in the hallway. Only after she got the second-highest score in the first test, her white classmates convinced the teacher to allow her to sit inside. In 1952, Davis graduated with a master’s degree in home economics (now Human Sciences), continuing as a high school teacher in Oklahoma’s public system for 43 years, educating and influencing thousands of students. She was also a civil rights activist, promoting desegregation in business in Oklahoma. She passed away on March 23rd, 2015 when she is 88 years old. The famous and talented sculptress, Jane DeDecker, created the statue which depicts Davis in her graduation cap and gown from OSU. The dedication ceremony took place on January 31st, 2019, with the participation of her three children, the OSU president, OSU vice-president, and the dean of the College of Human Sciences. Other honors Davis received: OSU has three scholarships bearing her name. May 31st, 1991, was proclaimed Nancy Randolph Davis Day in Oklahoma. In 2001, OSU named a residence hall in her honor. In 2008, Oklahoma Human Rights Commission honored her with the Oklahoma Human Rights Award. In 2020 the University decided to rename the Human Sciences buildings after her. Each February, OSU celebrates Nancy Randolph Davis Day with special events commemorating her legacy. Read more...

Ripples of Change is a monument of four statues of an Oneida leader and three suffragists from the Seneca and the Cayuga nations – Laura Cornelius Kellogg, Harriet Tubman, Martha Coffin Wright, and Sojourner Truth. It stands in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American Suffrage movement, overlooking the water and next to the statue When Anthony Met Stanton, which depicts three suffrage leaders – Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Amelia Bloomer. As part of the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment, the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission teamed up with the Town of Seneca Falls and the Seneca Falls Development Corp (SFDC) to create this statue. They chose the renowned sculptress Jane DeDecker and dedicated it on September 24th, 2021. Each of the women stands in the center of a round pedestal, a beginning of a ripple. These ripples are the results of the women’s activism and leadership work that started a big change in the world. The statues left to right: Laura Cornelius Kellogg (1880-1947) was a Haudenosaunee leader, author, orator, activist, and founding member of the Society of American Indians. The suffrage movement got inspired by the traditions, structure, and hierarchy of the Haudenosaunee people, whose women were equal to the men. In her statue, Kellogg is wearing her formal, traditional clothes. Her hands are reaching forward, holding the Women’s Nomination Wampum Belt. The belt represents the Haudenosaunee sisterhood and the power of the clan Mothers. Next to the statue are a cluster of wild strawberries, a turtle that symbolizes that the monument stands on Cayuga Nation homeland, and a basket with the harvest of the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash. Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) is known to all as the Black Moses. A nickname that she got after escaping slavery and returned as a conductor in the underground railroad, risking herself to free hundreds of slaves. After setting them free, she used to help them to adjust to their new life, supporting them with money and safe accommodations. Her statue depicts her standing with a cane, a determined and fearless look on her face. She is stepping forward leading the way. Martha Coffin Wright (1806-1875) was an abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Like her older sister, the suffragist leader, Lucretia Coffin Mott, she was one of the organizers of the Seneca Falls convention, where the suffrage movement officially started. Her home in Auburn, New York, was a safe house on the Underground Railroad. In her statue, she is sitting and knitting. Next to her is a ship, which symbolizes Wright and her fellow abolitionist refusal to wear cotton, a product made by slaves. Their action led to the establishment of the Seneca Woolen Mill, which became in August 2020 the home of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was a public speaker, abolitionist, and women’s rights activist. She was a slave for the first 28 years of her life before escaping to her freedom with her infant daughter. English was her second language, and she did not know to read nor write, but in her forties, she followed a calling to become a preacher, changed her name to Sojourner Truth, and toured the country lecturing for equality. Her work broadened the notion of activism beyond the white, educated, middle-class women who primarily made up the suffrage movement. In her statue, she is depicted at the moment before she is about to step up to the podium and give a speech, calling women to rise up. The statues will move to their permanent location in Peoples Park, across from the National Women’s Hall of Fame, in 2023. If you are interested to see the exact miniature replica of the statues, they stand at the Seneca Falls Heritage and Visitors Center. Read more...

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment ratification and celebrate the city of Paramount 2020 election of an all-female City Council, only the 5th time in the state of California, the city had funded and dedicated in 2022 a 12-foot-tall bronze likeliness of the suffrage ratification banner. The renowned sculptress Jane DeDecker who is famous for creating sculptures that commemorate women’s history and legacy, created this statue with the National Sculptors’ Guild based on the photo of the National Woman’s Party leader Alice Paul hanging the banner outside the National Woman’s Party Headquarters in Washington, DC. The US Senate passed the 19th Amendment on June 4th, 1919, and it was sent to the states for ratification. To track the ratification process, Alice Paul sewed a satin star on a large purple, white, and gold flag each time a new state approved the ratification. On August 18th, 1920, when Tennessee, the 36th state, ratified the amendment, Alice Paul sewed the last star and hung the long banner from the 2nd-floor balcony of the party’s headquarters. Seven decades since the suffrage movement started the struggle for the vote, on August 26th, 1920, the Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification that officially allowed American women to vote. In addition to the 36 stars, the front includes the 19th Amendment text: “AMENDMENT XIX The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” The following is inscribed on the back: “In commemoration of the August 18, 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution that provided all women of our nation with the right to vote. Upon this Centennial, the city of Paramount celebrates its 2020 election of an all-female City Council, only the fifth such Council in the history of the State of California. The city’s record of inclusiveness dates back to its incorporation in 1957 when Gladys Iliff was elected to the first City Council and named Paramount’s first Vice Mayor. Councilmember Isabel Aguayo Councilmember Laurie Guillen Councilmember Vilma Cuellar Stallings Vice Mayor Brenda Olmos Mayor Peggy Lemons “The best protection any woman can have … Is courage.” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton, chief philosopher of the woman’s suffrage movement.” This monument is one of the several statues that were installed in commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment ratification. Click here to explore more statues and places related to the American suffrage movement. Read more...

Along the banks of the Arkansas River stands the bronze bust of one of Arkansas heroines, Daisy Gatson Bates. Gatson Bates (1914-1999) grew up with foster parents in a segregated environment in Arkansas, learning about racism and discrimination against African-Americans firsthand. In 1941, she and her husband settled down in Little Rock; she became an active member of the NAACP’s local branch and, several years later, its president. The Bates established the Arkansas State Press, writing about civil rights issues, promoting desegregation, and celebrating stories of inspiring black Arkansans. In 1957, Bates decided to change the status quo after several years had passed since the Supreme Court’s decision that segregated schools were unconstitutional. She chose nine students to enroll in the all-white Little Rock Central High School. She supported, protected, and mentored the students during the enrollment and school period, which later became known as the Little Rock Integration Crisis. Bates and the Little Rock Nine faced death threats and opposition from the white students’ parents, local mob groups, and the Arkansas government. In 1960, after a year in which all the public schools in Little Rock were closed, they opened with no segregation. Bates stayed in touch with the Little Rock Nine through their years in school. After years of activism work, Bates died in Little Rock at age 85. Read more about her life story here. The bust was created by the renowned sculptress Jane DeDecker who also sculpted the other two monuments that honor women on the banks of the Arkansas River. The first is the Harriet Tubman statue, and the second is the Women’s Suffrage statue called Every Word We Utter, which commemorates the national suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, alongside Little Rock’s Bernie Babcock, and Josephine Miller Brown. Below the bust, a plaque reads: “When hate won’t die, use it for good.” Read more...