Annual Pink Tea celebrating Nevada women in politics sells out

Women in Nevada history will take center stage at a Pink Tea hosted by First Lady Dema Guinn and the Nevada Women's History Project, Saturday at the Governor's Mansion.

"The event is booked and we're thrilled about it," said Carrie Townley Porter, spokeswoman for the project. "We're honoring women elected to public office, past and present."

The two-hour event, a high tea, will feature Townley Porter as Helen J. Stewart, the first white woman to live in the Las Vegas area. Stewart was elected to school board before women got the right to vote. Holly Van Valkenburgh will portray Anne Martin, a nationally known suffragette.

The event is a fund-raiser, the money going to support the Sarah Winnemucca Statue Fund, an ongoing effort to place a statue of Sarah Winnemucca in the U.S. Capitol Statuary Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.

"Of the 97 statues in the Capitol, only six women are honored," Townley Porter said. "We wanted to put a Nevada woman in Statuary Hall and Sarah just stood out. This woman gave her whole life for causes. She could be a role model not only for minority women, but all young men and women."

Winnemucca's autobiography, "Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims," was first printed in 1883. It is still being published by the University of Nevada Press.

The daughter and granddaughter of Nevada Paiute Indian chiefs, Winnemucca was born in 1844 and died in 1891.

As a result of her work, Congress approved a land grant in Nevada for Indian use.

Sally Zanjani, author of a book on Winnemucca, approached the organization about the idea about two years ago.

The organization has collected about $50,000 for the statue thus far, Townley Porter said.

"We're in the process of finalizing the ( requests for proposals) to the artists. We've heard from sculptors all over the country," Porter Townley said. "We're hoping to name the sculptor in the late summer or fall."

IF YOU GO

What: Pink Tea, hosted by First Lady Dema Guinn and the Nevada Women's History Project

When: 2-4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Governor's Mansion, 606 Mountain St., Carson City