Since the beginning of March, the "Fearless Girl" statue facing down New York's "Charging Bull" of Wall Street has garnered a great deal of attention. While the statue is a temporary installation, many want it to remain permanently. If you are a fan of the "Fearless Girl" statue, you can help make sure she stays in place by joining in on several advocacy initiatives.
The "Fearless Girl" statute, designed by artist Kristen Visbal, was installed by an investment service company, State Street Advisors, in honor of International Women's Day on March 8. The statue was intended to highlight women's resilience and encourage businesses to employ more women, especially on their corporate boards. The statue was initially supposed to be in place for one week; however, due to its massive popularity with the public, its original permit was extended for a month. The statue is now due to be removed on April 2.
"Fearless Girl" is wildly popular with the public, many of whom perceive her as a symbol of "girl power" and "female strength." The statue's popularity coupled with its symbolism constitute exactly why there is now a strong movement to make "Fearless Girl" a permanent fixture.
On Saturday, several New York lawmakers gathered to hold a press conference advocating for "Fearless Girl" to remain in place. Furthermore, according to NBC News, over 50 elected officials, including "members of the New York City Council, State Assembly, State Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives" have signed a letter to the New York Mayor's Office requesting that the statue remain.
If you also wish to do your part to help advocate for "Fearless Girl," there are two public petitions you can sign—one on ThePetitionSite.com and the other on Change.org. These petitions already have tens of thousands of signatures each and will serve as a powerful way to illustrate the importance of "Fearless Girl" to many members of the public.
You can also contact your legislators to encourage them to support "Fearless Girl." If you live in New York, contact your state representatives to ask them to sign the elected officials' petition to keep "Fearless Girl" in place. Furthermore, regardless of whether you live in the state, you can also reach out to the New York City Mayor's Office on Twitter by tagging @BilldeBlasio or @NYCMayor in a tweet requesting that "Fearless Girl" remain a permanent fixture in the city. Finally, you can use social media to raise awareness about "Fearless Girl," including explaining why her message is so important and inspiring others to sign petitions advocating for her permanent installation.
According to the New York Daily News, some of this advocacy may already be working. On Tuesday at an unrelated press conference, Mayor de Blasio indicated that he was open to prolonging the presence of the statue, saying, “I understand that for a lot of people, it’s a fantastically powerful symbol, certainly for a lot of young women, a lot of girls as well." Thus, if everyone keeps advocating on "Fearless Girl's" behalf, it looks like she stands a chance of staying put for the foreseeable future.
