Lady Liberty

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Why The Statue Of Liberty Is Our Icon

The Statue of Liberty reigns as the American symbol of freedom and democracy. The United States was founded on the principle of liberty. It has been an integral part of American life since the beginning. The Statue of Liberty gives that life human form. We see wisdom and courage in her beautiful face, and strength and confidence in her noble stature. The golden torch in her upraised hand shines as a beacon of enlightenment and hope. July 4, 1776 written on her tablet reminds us of the Declaration of Independence and our unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes both the American dream of prosperity and the American promise of acceptance of diversity. She encourages us to dream of a better life and to live up to our promise. She inspires us to take charge of our destiny and to embrace our responsibility to the world.

It is with hope for the future, concern for the present, and respect for the past that the Goals for Americans Foundation chooses the Statue of Liberty as our emblem. Like the Statue of Liberty, our foundation is distinctly American with a worldly view. Our lofty mission is to inspire America, government leaders and citizens alike, to set national goals for the future of the planet. Just as the Statue of Liberty holds her torch aloft to enlighten the world, this foundation seeks to shed some light on global issues: peace, economic development, education, and protection of the environment. Inspired by the ideals that the Statue of Liberty represents, the Goals for Americans Foundation looks forward to doing
our part to make the world a better place.

The following passages are excerpts from “Lady of the Island” by Marcy Heidish

Statue “…The Statue of Liberty seems always to have belonged to the citizens of the United States. More intimately than any other symbol, she tells us who we are - and who we ought to be. In her face, we recognize our best traits: courage, compassion, wisdom, hope. In her stance, we recognize our best selves: kind, confident, unbiased, strong. Alone, surrounded by water, she personifies the ideal of individualism. Arm raised, aglow, she epitomizes the belief in progress for all who seek it. A lighthouse, she says what beacons have always said: safe journey, land ho, welcome home.

Lady Liberty was inspired by Egyptian monuments and French paintings, by Roman goddesses and the Colossus of Rhodes. She is Minerva and Madonna, Mother Nature and Mother Earth. Like the people of the United States, she is an amalgam; like most of us, she came from somewhere else. Now she seems to rise not just for recent immigrants but for everyone who has ever come to the United States.

And in the end, beyond analysis, beyond the words written to her and for her and on her, she endures - somehow a little taller than she was a century ago. She has been through more; we have been through more. Together we have survived. That shared history has made her matter to us more.”

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China Demonstration Although the Statue of Liberty is truly an American icon, her image has been re-created in many countries as a symbol of political freedom. Perhaps the most touching image was the papier-m‚chÈ replica of the Statue of Liberty that Chinese students built to symbolize their Democracy movement in 1989. Although the statue was tragically destroyed, the photograph of the Chinese Statue of Liberty reminds us that democracy is worth the effort.

The photograph, entitled “An effigy of the Statue of Liberty stands in front of the Shanghai city government offices” is gratefully reprinted with permission from the Chinese News Digest.

“Lady of the Island,” by Marcy Heidish, was first published in the July 1998 edition of Hemispheres. Ms. Heidish is the award-winning author of six novels, including the acclaimed A Woman Called Moses, which was made into a TV movie, starring Cicely Tyson. Ms. Heidish is also the author of a nonfiction book on pastoral care, derived
from her experiences with chaplaincy. She has received numerous awards for her writing, included a coveted National Endowment for the Arts Grant.

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