The Women in the Senate during the 116th Congress wearing yellow roses at the U.S. Capitol in honor of the 100th anniversary of Senate passage of the 19th Amendment (June 4, 2019).
The Beginnings of the Monument
“Why aren’t women’s stories woven into the monumental fabric of the National Mall?”
That is the question the 116th Congress answered when, in celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, bipartisan leaders in Congress unanimously passed a historic bill establishing the Women’s Suffrage National Monument. Public Law 116-217 was signed by President Trump on December 17, 2020, charging the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation with building a monument in Washington, D.C. dedicated to the great women of American history.
A second bill was required to secure a prominent location for the monument on the National Mall. And once again, congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle came together in overwhelming support of the Women’s Suffrage National Monument, passing a bill in the final hours of the 118th Congress that cleared the way for the Women’s Suffrage National Monument to be built on the National Mall. President Biden signed Public Law 118-226 on January 4, 2025.
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation was named in the legislation with leading the effort to fund, design, and construct the Women’s Suffrage National Monument.
Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Colorado) speaking on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to request passage of H.R.473 which established the Women's Suffrage National Monument (February 26, 2020).
Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón, former Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the U.S. Congress and Co-Chair of the Congressional Bi-Partisian Women's Caucus, speaking on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.R. 1318 (November 6, 2023)
President Trump in the Oval Office signing Public Law 116-217 which enacted H.R.473 and charged the Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation with building the Women's Suffrage National Monument (December 17, 2020).
Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas), Chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, speaking on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.R.1318 (November 7, 2023).
Senate Champions - Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) - with Anna Laymon, President and CEO of the Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation at an event in the U.S. Capitol in honor of the Women's Suffrage National Monument and the 19th Amendment (June 4, 2024).
Senator Tammy Baldwin on the floor of the U.S. Senate requesting passage of H.R. 1318, the Women's Suffrage National Monument Location Act (December 20, 2024).
Senator Marsha Blackburn on the floor of the U.S. Senate praising Congressional passage of H.R. 1318 that will allow the first monument dedicated to American women's history to be built on the National Mall (December 20, 2024).
President Biden in the Oval Office signing Public Law 118-226 which directed the monument to be built in a prominent location on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Jan. 4, 2025).
Why We’re Building a Monument
Of the 40 monuments, memorials, and statues that currently exist on the National Mall – the most visited National Park in the United States – NONE are dedicated to the great women of American history. It is time to tell their stories.
2.3%
Percentage of National Parks that commemorate some aspect of American women's history
36M
Annual visitors to the National Mall (more than Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon combined)
22
Number of commemorative works on the National Mall dedicated to singular men
0
Monuments on the National Mall dedicated to women’s history
Location of the Monument
The Women’s Suffrage National Monument will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The final site on the National Mall is expected to be announced in 2026.
Timeline to Build the Monument
-
1 Completed
-
2 Completed
-
3 In progressWe need your support
-
4 In progress
-
5 Coming Soon
-
6
-
7
“It is my honor to serve alongside my fellow First Ladies as an Honorary Chair of the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation to ensure that our Nation’s Capital represents the incredible contributions women have made to American history.”
Be Part of Something Extraordinary
Together, we will ensure that future generations of women and girls forever see themselves reflected in American history.