The Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing, who has created the bronze of Fawcett, will be the first female sculptor to have her work in the square. "It takes courage and stoicism to see something through," she says. "I am so honoured to have been able to create a statue of Millicent, and to have her message be an encouragement to anyone who needs to stand up to injustice."

"We should continue the conversation about monuments that were erected expressly to glorify individuals who fought a war against their own country to protect the institution of slavery, but we should also be honest about the difference between that and the recognition of a woman who only accepted her commission when it was the only way to keep her hospital open."

For decades, Simpson’s role as the first black woman to finish a doctorate from U. of C. has gone largely unknown. But on Tuesday, two university students will unveil a bust of Simpson atop a pedestal at the Reynolds Club, the university’s student center, which was once accessible only by white males. For Asya Akca and Shae Omonijo, the move is an effort to give Simpson her rightful place in university, and Chicago, history.

Like all the artwork of Monument Lab, If They Should Ask was always destined to be a temporary installment. But Hayes’ and a few other artists’ pieces came down a couple of weeks early to accommodate the setting up of holiday decorations. Hayes hopes that it will leave the whole city eager and empowered to begin to address centuries of patriarchal monument making.

Out of the 29 statues in the park, none are currently of real women. There are only fictional women, created by men, including Lewis Carroll’s titular character from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Shakespeare’s Juliet. In fact there are only five public statues of historic women in all of New York City, so the addition of Stanton and Anthony is significant in giving women’s history representation in the city’s monuments.

Seriously, why does she have to be naked? Why can’t she be like Freedom, the beautiful bronze statue atop the Capitol Dome, with her sword and a challenging gaze, daring anyone to grab anything?

“I’m thrilled that we have been given the go-ahead to install not only the first statue of a woman in Parliament Square, but also the first statue created by a woman. Let her stand facing Parliament for years to come reminding us all that ‘Courage calls to courage everywhere’.”