Relating to the National Museum of Women's History and the National Museum of Women's History Alaska Council.

Updated: May 6, 1999

The National Museum of Women's History (NMWH) was created as a nonprofit bipartisan organization. Because the contributions and experiences of women have been tremendously understated in our history, the organizers of the museum are attempting to correct this imbalance. Women make up 53% of our population, and yet, less than 12% of the content of current history textbooks addresses the contributions and lives of women. Women's roles in history are also largely ignored by the Smithsonian which currently houses only two permanent exhibits on women and by the U.S. Capitol where only 12 of the 451 works of art honoring individuals are of women.

Currently the museum is asking Congress to provide space for a museum in the Auditor's Building or another suitable site near the Capitol in Washington, DC. Once they have a site for the museum, the NMWH will be entirely privately funded for restoration of the site, maintenance and upkeep of the building, as well as continued operations. In addition to the museum in Washington, DC, NMWH is setting up a cyber-museum on the Internet where a start on detailing NMWH's efforts is already established.

As the brochure in the committee members' files illustrates, NMWH is already well on its way to becoming a strong organization. As of March this year, the NMWH organizers have raised over $10 Million in pledges for the furtherance of their effort. Serving currently on the NMWH Honorary Board of Trustees are 53 members of Congress, and Nancy Murkowski is among the congressional spouses serving on the NMWH Board of Advisors. State councils for NMWH are in Alaska, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Texas and the Washington DC Metro Area and efforts are being made to establish councils in all states and additional large metropolitan areas.

Several individuals from Alaska have already contributed much time and effort to promo-ting the NMWH. They are seeking the legislature's support for the museum in Washington, DC and for an Alaska based effort as well. With passage of this resolution, the members of the Alaska Legislature have the opportunity to lead the nation by being the first state to formally show support for this effort. We will acknowledge the many significant contributions that women have made, both on a national level and to the growth of our state as well.