It’s time for a women’s history museum

Earlier this month, the head of the Smithsonian Institute announced the museum complex will launch a Women’s History Initiative to highlight women’s achievements throughout history. Unfortunately, according to The Washington Post, Smithsonian Secretary David J. Skorton said he does not support the idea of creating a stand-alone museum to honor this initiative — at least not right now, anyway.

Skorton pledged the Smithsonian would hire curators and create programs that would focus on women and their contribution to history but said the museum is in no position to initiate any new museums in the near future. In support of the initiative, Congress passed a $2 million spending plan.

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), the author of the bill that would establish a stand-alone museum, believes the initiative will prove crucial in achieving this goal. But she told the Post she remains frustrated at the lack of support she has seen for the project from the Smithsonian.

This Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative is certainly admirable and long overdue; however, so is a museum dedicated solely to women and their accomplishments.

As a country, America has been guilty of neglecting women when it comes to recognition for their accomplishments. Not only have women been consistently left out of historical narratives but are often times overshadowed by their male counterparts.

Think of Frida Kahlo, who, in her obituary, was described first as the “wife of Diego Rivera,” before she was dubbed a “noted painter.” Or consider the life of Ida B. Wells. Wells wasn’t even originally given an obituary in The New York Times after devoting her life to fighting racism in the deep South.

Look at Abigail Adams, who proved to the nation that women had the ability to be more than just the silent and poised wives of statesmen. Nonetheless, she is still most commonly referred to as the wife of the second president of the U.S. rather than a political trailblazer of her own accord.

In recent years, we’ve seen some of these snubbed women start to get the acknowledgement they deserve. The film “Hidden Figures,” which came out in 2016, highlights the achievements of three African American women at NASA. Without these women, astronaut John Glenn may have never made it into orbit. Sadly, few people knew they ever existed until their story became an item of popular culture. But, as a result, most of America knows the important role these women played in American history.

Since 1851, obituaries in The New York Times have glossed over impressive females and instead allowed the pages to be disproportionately saturated with the life stories of white men. In 2018, after nearly 170 years of disregard, the paper is rectifying their mistake and publishing obituaries of the women who should have been honored years before.

In 2017, three women enlisted as the U.S. Marine Corps’ first female infantrymen. That same year, ImeIme Umana was elected as the first African American woman to serve as president of the Harvard Law Review, and in 2016, Carla Hayden became the first female Librarian of Congress.

Women have made great strides, that’s for sure, but they certainly aren’t done yet. And although as a nation we have started to improve when it comes to recognizing women and their accomplishments, there is much room for improvement. We need a place that is devoted just to women — a place that will hold their accomplishments throughout time and protect their legacies.

It’s time we give women the museum and the honor they deserve.