Evelyn Gandy was a woman who shattered virtually every glass ceiling within her reach.
To honor her legacy and inspire today’s young women to reach for the stars, the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art on Monday unveiled a mural dedicated to Gandy, aptly titled, “Glass Ceiling.”
The idea for the mural began in 2020, when Hattiesburg’s 19th Amendment Commission had money left over from its years-long public awareness campaign. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many planned events had to be canceled. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote for the first time in 1920.
A mural dedicated to the late Evelyn Gandy, Mississippi’s first female lieutenant governor and the first woman elected to statewide office, was unveiled Monday on Batson Street in downtown Hattiesburg.
It took years of campaigning by women and the voices of men in Congress to make the amendment a dream reality, and many of the women who fought for the right to vote never survived to vote themselves, said Mary Dryden, Chairman of the 19th Amendment Committee. But it was because of their efforts that women today can do so much more than their predecessors.
“Women now have a voice in government,” said committee chair Mary Dryden. “We can own property. We can have a profession. Sometimes we take these things for granted.”
The 2024 Gandy Leadership Academy, led by State Rep. Missy McGee, also participated in the project. The academy features ninth graders from the Hattiesburg area.
McGee said she hopes the mural will be an inspiration to young women for generations to come, but it also pays tribute to Gandy and the many other women who have made their mark on the world.
“This mural represents all the women who have been brave and rightly believe that they have something important to give back and that nothing will stop them from doing so,” she said. “So this mural is dedicated to the trailblazing women who have led, inspired and empowered. Their courage has opened paths for future generations and their voices have shaped history.”
Local artist Kym Garraway was chosen to create the work. She said Gandy was a special inspiration to her.
“She promoted what she believed in and look what she accomplished,” Garraway said of Gandy.
The mural includes a quote from Gandy, who was honored by the American Bar Association in 1997 for her pioneering role as a female lawyer: “Our civilization will truly never be refined until men and women work together in every phase of our society… in full equality, equal partnership and mutual respect.”
Gandy graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law. She was the only woman in the class of 1943.
The Hattiesburg resident embraced public service and entered the political field while still in her 20s.
Evelyn Gandy
She was an early female politician in the Mississippi state legislature, first elected in 1948.
She was also the first woman elected to statewide office, elected state treasurer, insurance commissioner and lieutenant governor. She was also the first woman to be appointed assistant attorney general and commissioner of public welfare.
However, the office of governor eluded her, despite having sought the office twice: in 1979 and 1983, when the Democratic party chose male candidates over her. Although she never sought another elected office and joined a private law practice, Gandy remained politically active in the Democratic party and various women’s organizations.
Gandy died in 2007.
The Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art, under the leadership of VisitHattiesburg, has installed 58 murals, painted dozens of electrical boxes and collected numerous sculptures for the public to see. For more information, visit hburgart.com.
Do you have an inspiring woman in your life? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her further Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/liciberidge.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Mural dedicated to Evelyn Gandy unveiled in Hattiesburg
