NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — It was 100 years ago Wednesday that the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote was officially certified.
The anniversary was marked in New York City with the unveiling of a new and historic monument along Literary Walk in Central Park.
The first statue in the park to depict real women was revealed during a ceremony Wednesday morning.
Sculptor Meredith Bergmann's 14-foot monument features three heroes of women's rights.
"Two of them are seated. Sojourner Truth on the left. Elizabeth Cady Stanton on the right. And between them is Susan B. Anthony who's standing," said Bergman, who hopes this inspires young girls. "I'd like them to think that they can be 9-feet tall too, that they could do something that would make the world that much better."
Previously, the only women represented in Central Park were fictional characters like Mother Goose and Alice in Wonderland. There are 23 statues of real men in Central Park.
The effort started six years ago with Pam Elam, President of the nonprofit Monumental Women. She thinks this is critical for girls.
"Now over half the population can see a statue that looks like them," Elam said.
Elam hopes there are more of these types of statues to come.
"In New York City, there are 150 statues in our public spaces, only five of them are women," Elam said. "We have to move history forward."
The unveiling event was streamed online.