Saturday, June 20, 2020

Still Life with Robin: Put Her Up on a Pedestal

Joan of Arc
by Peggy Robin

Now that the statue of Confederate General Albert Pike has come down (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BSGrcnKXlY for the dramatic footage), there’s an empty pedestal that needs a new figure to look up to.

And that figure should be female. In a city with statues in virtually every circle and square – hundreds and hundreds of figures in marble, bronze, or limestone – only 51 are female. And the majority of those are not specific individuals but are either the embodiment of concepts, such as “The Spirit of Justice” or “Grief” – or they are mythical creatures--angels or sea nymphs. For a run-down of all 51 of the outdoor female representations in the District of Columbia, see this CurbedDC article: https://dc.curbed.com/maps/washington-dc-public-art-female   

What woman should we honor in place of the late, unlamented Pike, who bore arms against his country?

Well, we have enough of mounted warriors. We even have a fighting female on horseback among our 51 female statues -- it's the mounted Joan of Arc statue at Meridian Hill Park.

So I say let’s go with a poet or a writer. Here's an idea: Maya Angelou. Not only one of our most honored poets, but as a memoirist, a screenwriter, a playwright, a director, and chronicler of our times, something of a Renaissance woman -- one with over thirty honorary degrees. And one associated with an iconic moment in our city, too: chosen to read a poem at the inauguration of our first African American President, in front of the largest inaugural crowd ever assembled.

However, I think I would prefer to make the case for Odetta, the folk/protest singer and civil rights activist, hailed by Martin Luther King Jr. as "The Queen of American Folk Music.” Her performance of  "O Freedom" at the 1963 civil rights March on Washington, may rank right behind the “I Have a Dream Speech” as a highlight of that historic event. I should confess I have an ulterior motive for wanting to see Odetta turned into a monument. I was present at marches or rallies that featured Odetta as a singer, and would love to be able to point out her statue to my visiting friends and relatives and tell them, "I saw her perform live -- and it was electrifying!" 

But maybe we should go with the safest, most obvious choice. That would be Harriet Tubman. She was supposed to be the new face on the $20 bill but the Trump administration kept putting her off. Now they’re telling us it won't happen until 2030 at the earliest. Getting the Tubman statue up in place of the pulled-down figure of Albert Pike would be something that we in the District could do relatively quickly (I would hope!) -- and it would be a good way of signalling our displeasure at the way she’s been deprived of her place on the money. 

These are just three quick ideas. I'm sure there are many good other candidates. But whatever we do, we should do it quickly, not letting that pedestal stand empty for too long. Let's prove that there are far worthier figures to fill the space and give future generations an idea of what real heroism looks like to us. 
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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays. 

11 comments:

  1. Something to think about is looking to the future and to space. Maybe we could have Katherine Johnson of Hidden Figures fame as a suggestion, or Mae Jemison, or Stephanie Wilson or Joan Higginbotham.

    Do you know the only other statue we have in DC related to human space flight is the statue of Jack Swigert Jr (of Apollo 13 and Apollo 17 fame) in the Capitol?

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  2. Agreed, it should be a woman and a Washingtonian. Clara Barton already has a parkway named after her but she would be from Pike’s era. Who ever SHE is, let her represent something other than a General! Being a General should not be a prerequisite for having a statue erected in your honor.

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  3. Marian Anderson would be a great choice.

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  4. I vote for Harriet Tubman. She was born on Maryland’s eastern shore. I think a statue honoring her sends a strong statement of support for justice and righteousness to prevail and is a step to make amendments and reparations for the horrors and brutality of the enslavement of other human beings. This woman risked her life countless times for other’s freedom.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman

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  5. I agree: double down on Harriet Tubman, but Odetta surely would be sweet!

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  6. How about a female environmentalist, astronomer or scientist? Rachael Carson comes to mind.

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    1. Is Rachel Carson local enough? She lived in Silver Spring. As the mother of the environmental movement, her importance is now more relevant than ever.

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  7. I also think Eleanor Roosevelt would be a good choice.

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    1. Eleanor Roosevelt is such a good choice that she's already one of the few women who already have a statue in their honor - at the FDR Memorial by the Tidal Basin. True, her statue is part of a whole ensemble of statues, plaques, waterfalls, and other design elements marking aspects of the Roosevelts' legacy -- but the plaque details her accomplishments in her own right.

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  8. Marian Anderson should have a statue near the Lincoln Memorial

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