Violet
I am excited about the monument because it isn't fair that girls aren't on the National Mall.
“World Unity Inc. has spent 33 years advancing a vision of equality for all people. The Sun Poem was born from a deeply personal spiritual journey. As an Asian American woman seeking a deeper connection to the God who created me, I visited many places of worship where no one spoke to me. Feeling invisible, I left one day and boarded a bus. When the sun broke through the clouds and shone on my face, I heard a calm voice say, “I don’t just shine on you, Sara. I shine on everyone.” From that revelation came the Sun Poem: Are you greater than the sun that shines on everyone: Black, Brown, Yellow, Red and White the sun does not discriminate. © 1985 Sara Ting One company president who donated digital space for a national public service campaign promoting equality by displaying the Sun Poem offered this reflection: “Keep up your amazing mission. The world needs this.” The poem speaks to a universal truth: all humans have unconscious biases. Laws, policies, and technology cannot eliminate them; individuals must remove them. The Sun Poem helps ignite the inner change that equality requires. Its impact has been recognized through two Boston City Council resolutions, five national public service campaigns, a TEDx Talk, a feature on NPR’s All Things Considered, and the song We All See the Stars, performed at the United Nations and embraced by students nationwide. The song inspired the creation of a free educational program, Singing Equality Across America and Around the World. Students love it. Two offered especially powerful reflections: VH said, “When I sing this song, I feel like I can do anything,” and Annie shared, “One day the world will hear the song and it will stop discrimination.” The song has even traveled as far as Namibia. We are presenting a bold and transformative vision: a glass wall engraved with the Sun Poem in luminous gold lettering, with each color in the poem written in its own vibrant hue. Against the open sky, the poem will appear to float across the horizon, turning the sky itself into a canvas for a universal truth. This extraordinary wall will draw people from around the world—an elegant, unforgettable structure that enlightens, empowers, and inspires all who stand before it. We hope this concept can serve as a source of inspiration for the Women’s Monument. The design was conceived by Sara Ting, with the visual rendering created with the assistance of AI.”
Several phrases from the women’s suffrage movement inspired us to share our idea and the Sun Poem. Expressions such as “Equality for all,” “Justice, not charity,” “Human rights are women’s rights,” “We ask justice, we ask equality,” “The cause of the women is the cause of humanity,” “Forward through the darkness, forward into light,” “Lifting as we climb,” and “We are all bound up together” reflect the same universal truth expressed in the Sun Poem.
The Sun Poem asks a simple but profound question: Are you greater than the sun that shines on everyone—Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, and White? The sun does not discriminate.
This truth aligns directly with what suffragists advocated: that equality is not granted by laws alone but is rooted in the inherent dignity of every human being. Their movement called for justice, moral courage, and recognition of our shared humanity. The Sun Poem carries that legacy forward by illuminating the inner work equality requires — the awareness and removal of unconscious biases that no policy or technology can erase for us.
It is especially meaningful that the Sun Poem was written by a woman. Her four lines speak with the same clarity, conviction, and moral force that defined the suffrage movement. Just as suffragists used simple, powerful language to awaken the conscience of a nation, the Sun Poem uses the universal image of the sun to remind us that no one is greater, no one is lesser, and equality begins within each of us.
The Sun Poem is a woman’s creation with a 40‑year legacy of inspiring equality, unity, and reflection. Its message echoes the spirit of the women’s suffrage movement, whose greatest struggle was to be seen, heard, and recognized as equal human beings. The moment that gave birth to the poem—feeling unseen, then receiving a revelation of universal equality—mirrors that same journey. Though its message speaks to all humanity, its origin is rooted in a woman’s insight and her lifelong commitment to illuminating the truth that equality is indivisible.
We would be honored to have it considered for this historic monument.
Featured Submissions
Leslie
My grandmother, Juana, came to the United States from the Philippines in 1973 and opened the door to the life I was born into. She was gentle but strong, and her love shaped our big, close family in ways I carry with me every day. When I think about the monument, I see her and all the women whose quiet courage, often unseen, built the foundation for the generations that came after them.
Graham
I am inspired by the suffragists bravery when protesting outside the White House even when they knew they would get arrested.
Diane
I am inspired by the suffragists creativity and resilience. I sewed this replica banner with one of my favorite slogans from the suffrage movement, "Forward Into Light".
Sloane
My drawing is of a strong independent woman holding the women's suffrage flag that I feel represents this movement in history and continues to hold true today.
Lily
My monument idea is one that honors the fight of the past while allowing space for the future of women’s rights to come. It is of a sash winding and rising upwards towards a fire. The fire represents courage, endurance, and the many voices of women who fought, and continue to fight for equality. It is a flame that can never be extinguished. At the bottom of the sash are symbols of the early suffrage movement such as a “Women Vote” button, a suffrage bluebird, and a yellow suffrage rose. The middle of the sash has the saying, “They ignited the flame. Our Voices Keep it Burning.” This honors the fight of those who came before us, and encourages new voices to continue their efforts for equality. The top of the sash is left empty and unwritten to allow for the next generation to leave their mark.
