Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Susie Lee (D-NV) and Susan Brooks (R-IN) are renewing their calls for the creation of a national museum dedicated to honoring the contributions of women throughout American history.
Maloney and Fitzpatrick are lead sponsors of H.R. 1980, the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act. The other members joined them in celebrating the growing bipartisan support for the bill.
“Just three months ago, we introduced H.R. 1980, the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act,” Maloney said at a press conference today. “Today, we have more than 160 cosponsors and the list keeps growing by the day. There is no reason this bill should not be supported by every member of the House and Senate. This is not about politics or partisanship. Women are half the population—this is about giving women, all women, their rightful place in history.”
“I was so proud to join Representatives Maloney, Lee, and Brooks this morning to advocate for a Smithsonian Women’s History Museum,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “Women have contributed so much to our Nation’s history and their stories need to be told. If you see it, you can be it. This museum will inspire millions of women across America to achieve their dreams.”
“I entered office as part of the largest class of women to ever be elected to Congress and there’s no better time than during this Congress to pass the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act and celebrate the accomplishments of half of this country’s population,” Lee said. “Every American should learn the complete story and the integral role women have played in shaping our country.”
“Women have made monumental marks in our nation’s history book and deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments in a place where people from far and wide can congregate,” said Brooks. “Establishing a Smithsonian Women’s History Museum for the collection, study and establishment of programs covering the historical contribution of women will inspire generations to come. I encourage all of my colleagues to support the bipartisan Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act to create a national museum dedicated to American women’s history so that the stories from American women who helped shape our country can be shared.”
