CAPE FEAR WOMEN OF THE REVOLUTION 

 

     Nestled inside the Moore’s Creek National Park in Currie, NC is a monument dedicated to the matriarchs of the corridor situated along the Cape Fear River between Fayetteville and Wilmington, NC.  This monument was erected in 1907, a time when women were rarely mentioned as having made any kind of military contribution, beyond that made in philanthropy and nursing.

      So who were these women and what efforts did they make that allowed them to win the marble lottery? Sitting atop the statue is Mary (Polly) Slocum, the wife of a hard-driven Ezekiel Slocumb, a lieutenant in the Patriot’s army. Polly’s claim to fame is based on a legendary tale, some of it etched on the base of the monument. “Polly, disturbed by a dream, arose and through darkness and on horseback sought her husband on the battlefield, 70 miles from home.” Imagine the sight she must’ve caused; a young woman, clad in pajamas, hair hanging loose down her back, riding a horse into the dead of night, the air still simmering with bloodshed. The loyalists must’ve either praised the lord or ran shrieking that they had seen a ghost. Either way, she changed the tone of the battle and gave the Patriots a leg up. Polly Slocum was a southern version of Lady Godiva; their very own secret weapon on horseback, covered in cotton and lace.

      I had a hard time finding other women of importance from the region. I was able to find mention of a Wilmington Tea Party led by women, fashioned in the spirit of the one in Boston and also in Edenton, NC. The plan was simple: the women hosted a tea party and instead of steeping the leaves, they burned them. Then the women convinced their husbands to boycott tea until the tax on tea was removed.

     There’s more of a story here, I just haven’t been able to excavate it.  Monuments are reminders of the past. Someone felt that women played a role in the war and wanted their efforts, not only acknowledged, but written in stone for generations to discover.

     Thanks, Cape Fear, for helping to dot the landscape with chiseled women. Now is the time to replace outdated and impractical statues of men with monuments of the matriarchy. Women Rock! Let’s not forget that.

 

                                                                   FEARLESS GIRL RBG

     IF you’ve been following this blog, you know that Fearless Girl is a favorite of mine. I even have a children’s picture book in process. But recently, following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, someone has draped a white lace jabot, or what has become fashionably known as a  “dissent collar,” around the neck of Fearless Girl.

    My mother had a white beaded collar in her jewelry arsenal that I inherited when she passed away. Whenever I wore it, people stopped me in the street to comment on it’s uniqueness. It made me feel like royalty. Now whenever I use it to adorn my black clothing, it will also remind me of RBG.

     Good news: a statue is planned in the likeness of New York’s very own Notorious RBG. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that a statue will be built in her native Brooklyn. The statue will serve to memorialize the many contributions she made in the area of gender equality. According to Mr. Cuomo, Ms. Ginsberg “gave voice to the voiceless and uplifted those who were pushed aside by forces of hate and indifference.” As soon as its unveiled, the statue will be featured in this blog, hopefully with a personal visit and photo.

     Ruth Bader Ginsberg has been an inspiration for many fearless girls, who when faced with adversity also pushed onward and upwards against gender discrimination. She will be missed. And if you asked me, Fearless Girl has never looked braver.