Meryl Streep Channels Abigail Adams, Speaks Up for Women’s Rights

Photo Credit: Neshan Naltchayan

Meryl Streep, a long-time advocate of the National Women’s History Museum, made waves this week at an advocacy dinner to support the establishment.  Arguing in favor of pending legislation that would allow the museum to purchase land at 12th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Streep channeled Abigail Adams in her endorsement for a permanent physical space for the museum near the National Mall – a pledged a personal $1 million to make it happen.

“Let’s take the history books and do a little red-line editing,” said Streep. “Let’s scrawl the crimson admonition Abigail gave John Adams: ‘Remember the Ladies!’ across the title page. Let’s place the strenuous, valuable, and largely invisible contributions American women made to this nation – across the three centuries it took for them to become true citizens – right square on the Mall of its capitol. If we don’t, who will?”