A group of bipartisan lawmakers are working to celebrate the centennial anniversary of women's suffrage next year with the founding of a new museum dedicated entirely to the accomplishments of women in the U.S.
"It is difficult to empower women, if you don't even recognize them," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the author of the pending Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act.
"What better way of inspiring young women — and men — than by knowing the contributions of those that went ahead."
If passed, the bill will establish a new national museum that showcases and honors women's historical achievements in a variety of fields including art, science, and the military, among others. The legislation currently has 293 co-sponsors in the House.
"Women's contributions to the development of our nation and society are immense," Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said in a statement. "As the first museum in the United States dedicated to the full story of women's history, this museum will tell the diverse story of the women who helped shape America."
The lawmakers stress that the museum is vital for accurately depicting U.S. history, which is dominated by the achievements of men and ignores those of women. The legislation notes, for instance, that only 9 out of 91 statues in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall are of women and cites a study that found only 10 percent of American history textbooks detail the contributions of women. The bill also mentions how only one out of the National Park Service's 44 national monuments honor women: the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, which President Obama designated in 2016.
"The American people need and deserve a museum dedicated to telling the story of American women," Jane Abraham, the chair of the American Museum of Women's History Congressional Commission, said in a statement. "Women's history is as rich as it is vast and to truly learn about and celebrate our country's history, women's contributions must be showcased in a dedicated museum."
<i>President Obama at the inauguration of the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in 2016. The historic house was designated to honor National Woman's Party benefactor Alva Belmont and founder Alice Paul. Photo Credit: Shutterstock</i>
The House bill was also accompanied by a Senate version that was co-sponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Both bills were introduced in March to coincide with Women's History Month
"American women have made invaluable contributions to our country in every field, such as government, business, medicine, law, literature, sports, entertainment, the arts, and the military," Collins said in a statement. "A museum dedicated to women's history would help ensure that future generations understand what we owe to those American women who have helped build, sustain, and advance our society."
Sen. Feinstein added that a Smithsonian museum "would be a fitting and long-overdue way to properly recognize women's contributions to our nation's narrative."
Neither bill is scheduled for a vote in Congress, yet supporters aim to pass the legislation by the end of 2020 to honor the passing of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in the U.S.
Catching you up on today’s entertainment headlines with CBS in the works to replace James Corden on the "The Late Late Show," "Top Gun: Maverick" facing a copyright lawsuit, Neve Campbell not returning to "Scream 6" over a disagreement about her salary, and more.
A survey by the BMO Real Financial Progress Index found that 25 percent of Americans are pulling back on retirement contributions to offset the cost of inflation. This comes as market volatility reduced retirement savings with the S&P 500 shedding more than 12 percent this year alone.
Catching you up on entertainment headlines with Johnny Depp winning more damages in his defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith addressing the infamous Oscars slap that her husband Will Smith laid on Chris Rock, Queen Elizabeth II celebrating her platinum jubilee on the throne, and more.
Eric Cervini, executive producer of 'The Book of Queer,' joins Cheddar News to talk about the new show on Discovery+ that's celebrating LGBTQ+ history.
New York drag queen DD Fuego, joined Cheddar News to discuss her journey to drag, sharing the coloring book "Find Your Fuego" to explain to kids and adults alike what drag is all about, and describing the Big Apple scene. "It's incredible because you're meeting people for the first time, and you're also sharing a piece of you, and they're sharing with you back, and it's instant, and it's so intimate, but it's also art," she said. "It's theater!" In celebrating this spirit, Cheddar employee Shannon also received a "fantastic" makeover from DD Fuego.
Memorial Day rang in the unofficial start of summer here in the United States -- and with it, the unofficial start of summer travel. Whether consumers traveled by air or by land, they probably experienced some form of frustration over the weekend. Flyers faced delays and cancellations, and drivers faced the most expensive gas prices ever recorded on Memorial Day. Zach Griff, Senior Aviation Reporter for the Points Guy, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Next-generation gaming ecosystem Joystick recently raised $8 million in a seed round and is in the process of raising a $110 million Series A funding round. Gaming ecosystems are a relatively new type of platform in the Web3 space, allowing users to maximize their play-to-earn gaming opportunities, exchange crypto-currencies, and sell their digital assets. Joystick says its platform is flipping the current model on its head by giving players the opportunity to keep 100% of the revenue they earn. Robin Defay, co-founder and CEO of Joystick, and Michael Le, co-founder of Joystick and TikTok content creator, join Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The dating app Bumble has sponsored bills and pushed lawmakers to criminalize the online practice of sending unsolicited nudes or “cyberflashing." Payton Iheme, Bumble's head of public policy for the Americas, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the app was going after the harassing behavior beyond its own platform. "Now, while we went to work internally in the company, and we created something called private detector to automatically blur those images so the user can decide if they want to see them, there's nothing for the rest of the internet," she said. "And so that's why we went to work with these laws."
