Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and actress Emma Watson, have throw their support behind a campaign that asks London mayor Sadiq Khan to erect a statue of a suffragette in Parliament Square by Feb. 2018.
Currently, there are 11 statues in Parliament Square, and they are all statues of men. Caroline Criado-Perez, a Brazilian-born British activist, organized the campaign after she noticed the obvious lack of female representation in the square while on a run with her dog.
She knew she couldn't let such a massive dismissal slide, so she penned an open letter to Sadiq Khan, who became Mayor of London in May 2016. The letter was signed by many high-profile women, including Rowling and Watson, as well as Caitlin Moran, author of How To Be A Woman , and Laura Bates, author of Everyday Sexism.
The letter reads, in part:
This underrepresentation of women matters beyond the right of women to be able to participate in public life. It matters because of the message it sends out to the rest of us about a woman’s place in the world. It matters because study after study has shown the hugely positive impact role models have on women. It matters because of a young girl growing up thinking she is lesser than her brothers: less qualified, less competent, less important. Less valued.
Hermione Granger is a total feminist icon, and that spirit and passion is shared by the actress who brought her to life. In 2014, Watson was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Later that year, she launched the UN campaign HeForShe, and most recently, she introduced the world to a wealth of female-written literature through her feminist book club, which has featured works by Gloria Steinem, Caitlin Moran, and Maggie Nelson.
Hermione once said she was "hoping to do some good in the world." It appears Emma and J.K. are, too.
