Sometimes it’s so frustrating to turn on the news or open a computer and see so many negative headlines, but that just means when a good one pops up we all get really excited. It’s that much more fun to celebrate good news, if you ask me. Imagine my heart fluttering when I read that the city of Sacramento (California’s capital) is following in the footsteps of Wall Street by adding a new statue to the Democratic HQ. The west coast is representing the ‘Fearless Girl’ with their own version, the ‘Persist’ statue, and she’s pretty awesome.
New ‘Persist’ Statue is West Coast’s Fearless Girl
Here’s a bit more of the story via Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls:
“There’s a new fearless girl in town?—?and this time she’s on the West Coast. Back in March, a “Fearless (or Defiant) Girl” statue by artist Kristen Visbal was placed in front of the Wall Street Bull in New York City as part of International Women’s Day. Now, the West Coast has a statue of their own. The California Democratic Party decided to place a statue on top of the Democratic Party Headquarters in Sacramento.”
The California Democratic Party has commissioned their own version of the “Fearless Girl” statue and installed it on their roof. pic.twitter.com/mbJFnbkhnQ
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) May 19, 2017
According to the SF Gate:
“‘Persist,’ as the Los Angeles Times points out, is derived from a quote uttered by GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In February, McConnell defended himself after cutting off a statement by Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, saying, ‘She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless she persisted.’
The last sentence has taken on a significant, co-opted meaning for Democrats with CADEM utilizing the sentence’s key word as this year’s rallying cry, because, as the California Democratic Party’s communications director Robin Swanson says, ‘We want to inspire people to persist against all odds.'”
Pretty awesome, don’t you agree? “The West Coast “Fearless Girl” statue stands tall above the city looking down on those who should represent us in the capital city of California. The statue also quite literally signifies something we can look up to,” says Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls.
This is the type of thing we need more of in the world – women and men coming together to stand up for what’s right and beautiful about the diverse society we live in. No matter what, we’re here to support one another, work together and create the most incredible lives possible. “Persist” has such profound meaning – not just for women and girls – but for anyone who has faced an uphill challenge and hasn’t given up, but rather put one foot in front of the other day after day – despite all odds. I’m so inspired by this – what a way to kick off the week. How does “Persist” make you feel?
