BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Three of Boston's most historic women have found their voices.
The Boston Women's History Memorial on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail has three statues depicting former First Lady of the United States Abigail Adams, African-born poet Phillis Wheatley, and abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone.
The memorial was dedicated on Oct. 25, 2003. Now, to celebrate the 20th anniversary, the Talking Statues project has installed a braille plaque with a QR code, which visitors can scan to bring up an audio recording of the three women's words.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell reads for Adams, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley reads for Wheatley, and Mayor Michelle Wu reads for Stone.
Co-founder of the Women's Heritage Trail and board member Maria D'Itria had tears in her eyes Saturday as she stroked Abigail's arm.
"It’s almost as if she were here, because in the past we’ve always read these stories, but now it’s like you’re actually hearing her," D'Itria told WBZ NewsRadio.
Fellow BWHT board member Meg Campbell, who helped bring Talking Statues to Boston, was similarly overwhelmed.
"To see people with their phones making it come alive, I told my husband I was a little teary," Campbell said. "It’s one thing to read the words, and it’s another thing to hear them and hear their powerful voices."
Speaking at Saturday's unveiling, blind disability rights activist JoAnn Becker praised the project for making the statues more accessible.
"Today is a celebration of inclusion," said Becker. "This is something that Abigail, Phillis, and Lucy fought for."
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