The Monuments
The first three statues honoring pioneering women from Western New York will be placed at Old Erie County Hall, 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo. These women trailblazers were leaders in their communities as well as the nation—their inspiring lives deserve to be celebrated.
LOUISE BLANCHARD BETHUNE, FAIA
aRCHITECT and pay equity advocate
The first professional woman architect in the United States, Louise Blanchard Bethune was a national leader in the architectural profession during the Gilded Age. A staunch advocate for equal pay for equal work, Bethune advocated for co-education and state licensure for the architectural profession. She elevated the design of schools before standards were developed.
MARY BURNETT TALBERT
Human and CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
An internationally respected human and civil rights leader, Mary Burnett Talbert was a suffragist, preservationist and educator. She was a charter member of the Buffalo Phyllis Wheatley Club and later was elected president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and headed its 1922 Anti-lynching campaign.
Geraldine “Gawö:sid-tah” Green longhouse leader & faithkeeper
A devoted educator of her Haudenosaunee traditions, Sid-tah was one of the venerable fluent speakers of the Seneca language who shared her knowledge throughout the region, nationally and internationally. She was a leader in the Newtown Longhouse, serving as head women’s faithkeeper for the animal clans.