New monument honors work for women’s equality

Media Contacts
Margie Alt

Environment America

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today President Obama designated the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum as the 23rd national monument of his administration. For more than sixty years, the National Women’s Party used the house across the street from the U.S. Capitol to lobby for women’s political, social, and economic equality. The new Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument will honor the work of Alice Paul, Alva Belmont, and other leaders of the movement.
 
Margie Alt, Environment America executive director, who attended the ceremony announcing the monument, issued this statement:
 
“Since Teddy Roosevelt, presidents have preserved the best of America’s natural, cultural and historic resources for all Americans to enjoy. Using the Antiquities Act to honor the leaders of women’s equality is a perfect use of this law. We applaud the president and urge him to continue to build his conservation legacy by preserving the places women have fought so hard to preserve—from the Grand Canyon to the Arctic.”
 
“From Rachel Carson to Lois Gibbs, from Gina McCarthy to Sally Jewell, women have often been the forefront of the fight to preserve the environment and protect the public’s health, so I’m proud to have been on hand to celebrate this important day.”