Elizabeth Buffum Chace - Congratulations, Liz!

A bill honoring Abolitionist Elizabeth Buffum Chace has now passed the US House of Representatives and is heading towards the Senate.

I got a huge kick out of reading this, as I have a very s strong connection to Elizabeth, someone I lovingly refer to as Liz.

Some years back when I was Director of Communications at the RI Secretary of State’s office, I worked on a project that put me squarely in touch with this amazing, incredible Rhode Island icon.

At that time there was no image of a any woman at the Rhode Island Statehouse, never mind a Rhode Islander. I felt that was something very important, and after talking with the Secretary we decided to do something about it. The project became my "thing" and it took a year from start to finish. 

First we solicited names - and accepted nominations from all over the state. Once the names were vetted, ALL were included in the list of nominees. We wanted to make sure the project was a history lesson -- in which every woman's contribution was made public for all to read and learn.

Finally, we had a top choice -- Elizabeth Buffum Chace - and for two excruciating days three of us (the Secretary the head of RI Archives and myself) carried that name around in our heads. We had a giant photo of "Liz" which was unveiled with much fanfare and every reporter in town in attendance.

A sculptor was commissioned after another long search process and the image created. I recall going to the studio and seeing Liz come to life first in clay, then finally in stone. Liz did not arrive early -- the sculptor and I escorted her in at midnight the night before the big unveiling. I asked the security guard to open the main doors of the Statehouse for Liz -- no way was she going to make an entrance through the basement.

The unveiling was scheduled for a major Girl Scout anniversary during Women's History Month. We decided on a birthday party/unveiling and invited all Girl Scouts in Rhode Island. Well, some five hundred of them showed up! Girl Scout's headquarters was at a the bottom of Smith Hill and we arranged for a colonial drummer and a police escort as the girls marched up Smith Hill and into the State House.

As a result of this project, when little girls walk through the State House now they have an image of an incredible Rhode Island woman to admire.
And this not so little girl has some incredible memories.
Thanks, Liz. You rock.