Yesterday, Colorado US Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner announced that bipartisan legislation they led to install the Every Word We Utter sculpture as a monument in Washington, DC passed the Senate. The bill now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law. Once installed, the sculpture would be the first outdoor monument in Washington, DC to commemorate the women’s suffrage movement.
“We’re thrilled that our legislation to install the Every Word We Utter sculpture in our nation’s capital passed the Senate and now heads to the president’s desk. I see the suffragists as founders in exactly the same way as any of the men who wrote the Constitution — they challenged Americans to make our country what it ought to be,” said Bennet. “Their bravery and persistence are how America ratified the 19th Amendment 100 years ago, affirming women the right to vote. I hope this incredible sculpture, brought to life by Colorado-based sculptor Jane DeDecker, will inspire young women like my three daughters to strive for a more democratic country where every American is able to exercise their right to vote.”
“I’m proud to work with the entire Colorado congressional delegation to establish the first outdoor monument in our nation’s capital honoring the women’s suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution,” said Gardner. “With Senate passage today, this bipartisan bill now heads to the President’s desk and will allow Loveland artist Jane DeDecker to install her Every Word We Utter sculpture in Washington, DC. I look forward to the day where women from all over the world will be inspired by the sculpture in our nation’s capital honoring the generations of women whose determination guaranteed women the right to vote.”
“We need to build monuments that tell the equitable, collaborative, and complex stories of our shared American experience. The sacrifices that the suffragists made in securing the right to vote for women cannot be forgotten and must be celebrated. I’m excited Every Word We Utter is one step closer to being placed in our nation’s capital to honor these brave women who fought for equal participation in our democracy,” said Jane DeDecker, sculptor of Every Word We Utter.
“I count myself as fortunate to live in the great state of Colorado, where one can safely and securely vote-by-mail. Voting is a critical principle of our democracy and regardless of circumstance, individuals should have the ability to exercise their right to vote without obstacles, interference or suppression,” said Jody Shadduck-McNally, President of the Every Word We Utter Monument Board. “As the President and co-founder, and on behalf of the Every Word We Utter Monument board, I am grateful for the support of Senator Michael Bennet to establish the first outdoor monument in Washington, DC to honor and commemorate the work and sacrifice of women suffragists past and present.”
In August, Bennet visited with sculptor Jane DeDecker at her studio in Loveland, Colorado and the Board of Directors for Every Word We Utter, the non-profit organization that has worked to place the sculpture in Washington, DC.
On the 100th anniversary of Senate passage of 19th Amendment last year, Bennet and Gardner introduced legislation to authorize DeDecker to install Every Word We Utter as a monument in Washington, DC near the US Supreme Court. In February, companion legislation led by U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO-2) passed the US House of Representatives.