After years of planning, the new Ohio Women's Monument was officially unveiled on the grounds of the Statehouse Wednesday morning. The monument features four etched granite columns and nine bronze figures representing many contributions of women in Ohio throughout generations.
For the Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Jen Miller, the monument was the culmination of years of meetings and planning.
“It is incredibly important that when young people walk these Statehouse grounds, they see women leaders because if they don’t, they may not imagine women leading. And so our hope is this inspires all of us to understand why our right to vote is sacred, why it changes our lives, and all of the ways that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us but also need to be the shoulders of those who come after us.”
The monument was created by artist Brenda Councill. Her previous works include the monument at the Alan Cottrill Sculpture Museum and Studio in Zanesville. Councill said this monument is a collective achievement.
“Today, we see what can happen when vision, public art, government organizations, and private citizens move together toward a shared purpose," Councill said. "Public art is never the work of one person alone. This monument is a collective achievement.”
“One of the reasons that we chose [Councill] and the committee chose her was because of the forward, not just looking backward, but the forward-looking of this monument," said Stephanie Kunze, a Republican former state senator and the chair of the Ohio Women's Centennial. "I think we are just getting started on several issues that are women are still fighting for, and I think that was kind of one of the messages from the actual monument.”
The monument includes ideals that have yet to be passed in state law, including one bronze figure holding a sign saying “Equal Pay for Equal work.” Ohio doesn’t have a law on the books requiring equal pay for equal work. When asked about that, Gov. Mike DeWine said, “It’s probably as aspirational."
He added he's hired many women in top positions in his office and noted many women are being elected to top positions as well.
Bills that have repeatedly been introduced to require equal pay for equal work have not gained traction. Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin) has supported the legislation and aspires to take action on that issue in January.
“I would definitely like to reintroduce that bill early on,” Somani said.
The monument features many Ohio women from different walks of life, including astronaut Judith Resnick, suffragist Belle Sherman, and the first woman to serve as the speaker of the Ohio House, JoAnn Davidson. Davidson, who died nearly two years ago, was memorialized by her friend, former Attorney General Betty Montgomery.
“This is a woman who has personally shaped Ohio with grace, with safety, with a concern for all she served. It was fairness. She loved policy. She loved politics. She was tough as nails. She had a great sense of humor," Montgomery said.
A $1 million donation to the monument was given in Davidson's name.
Charles Moses, chair of the Capitol Square Foundation, said Ohio is the second state to erect a monument for women on its Statehouse grounds. He said Virginia was the first. The new exhibit is on the south side of the Statehouse across from the Ohio Theatre.
