For more than a century, International Women’s Day has celebrated the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe. And starting today through the rest of the month, some of New York City’s most trailblazing female political activists will be honored at LinkNYC kiosks across the city.
The initiative is a collaboration between LinkNYC, the city’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and the Museum of the City of New York and not only commemorates this year’s IWD, but also March being Women’s History Month.
The women featured on the LinkNYC kiosks are included in the museum’s “Beyond Suffrage: A Century of New York Women in Politics” exhibit, which runs through Aug. 5.
“During Women’s History Month, we are proud to shine a light on prominent women who have positively impacted New York City and the entire nation,” said Jen Hensley, president of LinkNYC. “Using Link’s platform of digital displays throughout the five boroughs, we hope New Yorkers and visitors who walk by Links will get a window into the well-known and unsung heroes who have paved the way for women today.”
Among those heroes are Alva Belmont, founder of the Political Equality Association in New York, journalist and civic activist Bessye Bearden, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was a drafter of the Declaration of Sentiments, suffrage leader Mabel Lee and Sarah J.S. Tompkins Garnet, who founded the Equal Suffrage League in Brooklyn.
The museum’s exhibit features photos, audio materials, garments and more to tell the stories of the city’s female activists, and DoITTT Commissioner Samir Saini hopes that its partnership with LinkNYC “will inspire activism among all the people — male and female — of our city today,” he said.
Whitney Donhauser, president of the Museum of City of New York, called the collaboration a “perfect match” that “will bring the story of women’s activism in New York to life in unprecedented ways and make the inspiring history of ‘Beyond Suffrage’ accessible for even more New Yorkers, tourists and visitors.”
More than 1,300 LinkNYC kiosks can be found across the five boroughs, and thousands more will be deployed in the coming years.
