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Monumental Women, the all-volunteer nonprofit group bringing the first statue depicting real women to Central Park, is pleased to announce that award-winning actors Jane Alexander, Viola Davis, America Ferrera, Rita Moreno, Zoe Saldana and Meryl Streep will portray Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in English and Spanish-Language ‘Talking Statues’ monologues that will accompany the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument. The Monument featuring Truth, Anthony and Stanton is set to be unveiledon Central Park’s Literary Walk on August 26, 2020, the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, when women won the right to vote. Actors Jane Alexander and America Ferrera will voice Anthony, Viola Davis and Zoe Saldana will voice Truth, and Meryl Streep and Rita Moreno will voice Stanton. Monumental Women began working to develop the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument and “break the bronze ceiling” by securing a prominent location on Central Park’s famed Literary Walk in 2014. In the statue, Bergmann shows Anthony, Stanton, and Truth working together when they met to advance thefight for equality, justice, and women’s rights. They are depicted as equals, working together ata table, with each taking on an essential element of activism: Truth is speaking, Anthony is organizing, and Stanton is writing. The Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument honors three New York women who dedicated their lives to women’s rights and to women winning the franchise, though none of them lived long enough to see it happen. The public can easily access the monologues by scanning a QR code on a smart-device or by downloading the Talking Statues app on a mobile device.The app is part of Monumental Women’s educationcampaign to educate Park visitors, young people and schoolchildren around the world aboutwomen’s history. Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up.
