New York's Fearless Wall Street Girl Just Got A West Coast Twin

It took a few months, but now the controversial statue of a girl staring down Wall Street’s iconic bull has a doppelganger on the west coast. “Fearless Girl” was installed in Manhattan in celebration of International Women’s Day earlier this year, and now a similar statue, named “Persist,” graces the top of the Democratic headquarters in Sacramento, California.

The statue was commissioned by the Democratic party, standing 5 feet 8 inches, weighing 400 pounds, and costing $16,000. It was paid for by two anonymous donors.

“Persist,” as the name suggests, was inspired by the events of February in which Senator Elizabeth Warren was abruptly cut off by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who attempted to explain his actions by stating, “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

“Nevertheless, she persisted” almost instantly became a rallying cry for women to continue to fight for their beliefs in the face of adversity or opposition.

The statue, raised in anticipation of Sacramento's Democratic Party convention this weekend, is based on the likeness of the five-year-old daughter of Democrat strategist Dana Williamson and was sculpted by artist Julia Fernandez-Pol.

Though the statue’s existence is news to many, its creation has been in the works for months. Angie Tate, the chief fundraiser for the California Democratic party, was inspired after walking by the “Fearless Girl” statue in Manhattan; she quickly got to work commissioning a West Coast iteration for this weekend’s convention.

Robin Swanson, the California Democratic Party’s communications director, shared the intent behind the statute with the Los Angeles Times. “Little girls need something to look up to. They can literally look up at the statue of ‘Persist’ and say, ‘I can persist.’ Frankly, we all need a little reassurance ourselves, she said.