NPR

NYC Has Just 5 Statues Of Historic Women. That's About To Change

"We set out to correct a glaring inequity in our public spaces," said Chirlane McCray, the first lady of New York City. A number of cities are taking steps to honor women with statues and public art.
New York City says it will erect a statue of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress. Chisholm is seen here in a Brooklyn church in January 1972, announcing her bid for the Democratic nomination for president.

There are hundreds of statues in New York City. But once you remove the ones in which female figures represent Liberty, Freedom, etc., just five sculptures depict actual historical women. (In case you're wondering: Joan of Arc, Golda Meir, Gertrude Stein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harriet Tubman.)

An initiative earlier this year called aims to change that dismal figure, by commissioning and installing new public monuments that honor women. Now, the city just named its first subject: Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress.

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