Women Comprise Less Than 15% of RI Hall of Fame
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Are women in Rhode Island getting their fair share of recognition in history or is it, as one leading Rhode Island historian claims, that men dominated early American history and, thus, dominate who is recognized?
In Rhode Island, buildings, schools bridges, and the state's top recognition -- the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame -- are dominated by the acknowledgment of the achievements of men.
In Rhode Island, fewer than 20 schools across the state are named for women and approximately 100 are named for men.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOf the approximately 820 inductees into Rhode Island’s Hall of Fame, approximately 710 of the inductees are men and 110 are women. Note that some inductees capture two people, as in the case of two 1997 inductees — Miantonomi and Canonicus (Sachems). The two Native American leaders are entered together.
The discrepancies are not unique to Rhode Island. In Boston, of 125 Boston public schools, only 10 are named for women, according to the Boston Globe.
Historian Patrick Conley defends the discrepancy, “About a third of the inductees in the Hall of Fame made their mark prior to the 20th century. In those early years, women were confined to the domestic sphere with little chance to gain fame or widespread acclaim. They were hampered by sever societal restrictions--almost like the Muslim women of today.”
“Our Hall of Fame consists of many lawyers and judges--the first woman member of the bar, Ada Sawyer, was not admitted until 1921,” said Conley.
Elected Officials — Some Missing Recognition
According to Conley, because of societal bias, women were not allowed into many key roles of governance for decades, “Rhode Island had 90 male governors before they elected a female. About 65 congresspersons before they elected a female. Dozens of U.S. senators with no females,” said Conley.
However, while a number of prominent female elected officials have been recognized, neither Rhode Island’s first woman elected to Congress, Claudine Schneider, nor Rhode Island’s first female Governor Gina Raimondo has been inducted according to the organization’s database and listings.
Schneider was Rhode Island’s first -- and continues to be Rhode Island’s only -- woman elected to Congress. She was elected into Congress in 1981 and served until 1991 when she chose to run against sitting United States Senator Claiborne Pell and lost in the 1990 election.
This past year’s class included nine members - and only one was a woman.
SEE SLIDESHOW BELOW
Conley defends the process, and who has been selected,”We have a Hall of Fame, and while I recognize the value of women much, much more than most -- my four wives were women, and four of my six children are women -- there is nothing either I or the Hall of Fame can do to change history."
A recent column by Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham regarding the lack of Boston school named for women, however, challenged the historical norm.
“Now, before the dinosaurs among you get all het up and start whining about feminists and quotas and political correctness and is-nothing-sacred-any-more, we’re not talking about just words here. A school’s name, which kids hear every day, really matters. It speaks to whom we acknowledge and admire. Having so few women among them sends a lousy message to students, half of whom are girls, and all of whom live in a world where women do remarkable things,” wrote Abraham.
Abraham’s comments are echoed by Kelly Nevins of Women’s Fund of Rhode Island.
"If we want to achieve equity in our communities, it starts in the school system where our young people learn about leaders. When they only learn about leaders of color or female leaders during Black History and/or Women's History Month, it sends a signal that these leaders were 'exceptions to the rule' in developing/advancing our country,” said Nevins.
“The more our young people see leaders who reflect them, the more likely they are to consider following those paths of leadership. Recognizing the contributions of the women and people of color in RI who helped advance our community by naming schools after them (and teaching our students about why the school was so named) would go a long way towards inspiring our young people,” Nevins added.
SEE THE SLIDESHOW OF THE 2018 CLASS OF INDUCTEES
Related Slideshow: 2018 RI Heritage Hall of Fame Inductees
Related Articles
- LIVE: Women’s Fund of RI Is Fighting For Fair Pay and $15 Minimum Wage
- LIVE: RI Chapter of the Women’s March Hold’s Rally at State House Saturday
- Projo Patinkin’s Social Media Criticized As “Demeaning” By Leading RI Women
- RI’s Female CEO Deficit — Just 15% of Largest Employers Are Led By Women
- LIVE: Emerge America’s Gholar on Surge of Women Running For Political Office
- YWCA of RI Seeking Nominations for 2018 Women of Achievement Awards
- RI Ranks 21st Among Best States for Women
