Kick-off Event, October 22, 1996; shown above are Senator Robert D. Wetmore of Barre and hundreds of students from Boston's Lucy Stone School who made the first donation to the project; other speakers included Evelyn Murphy, Senator Lucile P. Hicks, and Dr. Selma Botman.
In 1996, Massachusetts Senator Robert D. Wetmore of Barre watched a PBS television special on the leaders of the women's suffrage movement. He was struck by how many of these 19th-century pioneers were from the state he represented, including Lucy Stone. Shortly thereafter, he visited the capitol building in Washington, D.C. and noticed that among all of the statues, busts, and paintings on display, NONE were of women. Returning home to Boston, he noticed the same discrepancy at the Massachusetts State House and he decided to do something about it.
Senator Wetmore formed a committee of renowned historians, educators, librarians, and members of the state's cultural community. They met and discussed for a year, and chose six women leaders to honor in works of art that would be permanently displayed at the State House. They honorees were Dorothea Lynde Dix, Lucy Stone, Sarah Parker Remond, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Mary Kenney O'Sullivan, and Florence Luscomb. Each one helped bring about important change in Massachusetts and the nation in the areas of anti-slavery, women's suffrage, labor and social reform, the women's club movement, and peace.
Senator Wetmore also asked the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities (MFH) to manage the project -- to raise the money, and get it done. As Director of External Affairs, Bonnie Hurd Smith was designated project manager.
Tasks:
• sought endorsements from cultural and political organizations throughout the state who could assist with fundraising and friendraising, publicize and attend events, and make the project community-based from the start
• created a Steering Committee comprised of legislators, the Mass. Cultural Council, State Art Commission, and Advisory Committee members; this committee hired Urban Arts to manage the artist selection process
• worked with Senator Wetmore's Advisory Committee and the MFH Board of Directors to attract support
• developed publicity and fundraising materials including:
- project logo and photographs of the women that would be used throughout
- case statement
- regular newsletter for donors
- special event flyers and invitations
• managed fundraising appeals and follow-through
• planned, managed, and sometimes spoke at special events
Today, "Hear Us," a blending of imagery and text, may be seen on the first bloor of the Massachusetts State House. MFH also developed a curriculum that is free to Massachusetts teachers entitled "Making the World Better: The Struggle for Equality in 19th Century America."
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