NEW YORK - Life-size statues of 10 women including media
mogul Oprah Winfrey, Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett were
unveiled in New York Monday. Among them is a Zimbabwean scholar who was denied
education growing up because of her gender.
Tererai Trent said on her Twitter account she was
"beyond honoured" to be among the first ten sculpted by the artists.
The list also includes conservationist Jane Goodall,
activist Janet Mock, chemist Tracy Dyson, author Cheryl Strayed, and Olympic
gymnast Gabby Douglas.
The women were honored for their work championing gender
equality by Statues For Equality to commemorate Women's Equality Day on August
26 under the "Sculpted for Equal Rights" initiative by prominent
Australian artists Gillie and Marc Schattner.
The husband and wife duo said they realized that there were
fewer statues of women -- less than 3% in New York -- compared to men, so they
set out to give more recognition to women who have made an impact in society.
Trent, 54, was kept out of school for most of her childhood
because of of her gender, but she taught herself how to read and write while
living with her parents in rural Zimbabwe.
She relocated to the US in 1998 after she was discovered by
an American non-profit that visited her village. She has since achieved her
dreams of getting a masters and a doctorate.
The US-based academic faced domestic abuse in the pursuit
of her dreams and continues to champion girls and women empowerment through
education.
Her inspirational story caught the attention of Oprah
Winfrey who gave Trent $1.5 million in donations to rebuild her elementary
school in Zimbabwe in partnership with Save the Children in 2011.
The subjects of the statues were chosen by a public vote
and were unveiled on the anniversary of women getting the right to vote, kicking
off a global campaign to increase the number of female statues globally.
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