Sign the Petition from Change.org. Petitioning President of the United States
This petition will be delivered to:
President of the United States Barack Obama
Secretary Jewell, Department of Interior
Issue Proclamation creating National Monument to honor Dorothea Dix
The imminent sale of the 608 acres that remain of the former Dorothea Dix Hospital campus endangers historic buildings and a patients' cemetery. Pleas to preserve part of the site to benefit those in NC with mental illness go ignored by the Governor and the Mayor of Raleigh.
Dorothea Dix is a person to be emulated today.
Dix visited the poor and found them chained and neglected in jails and prisons. She used her first-hand experiences to successfully lobby North Carolina's legislature to found its first asylum in 1859. A National Monument honoring her Legacy of advocating for persons with mental illness would not preclude the use of part of the campus for a City Park.
Because time is of the essence, it may be that only by creation of a National Monument can historic preservation be included in the plans for the future of the former Dix hospital's campus. The North Carolina Council of State (state-wide elected officials) can approve the proposed plan for developing a park at any time.
By signing this petition, I agree that President Obama should issue a proclamation under the Antiquities Act creating a monument in Raleigh to honor Dorothea Dix and her legacy.
https://www.change.org/...
Fri Jan 23, 2015 at 9:27 AM PT: Last big push for signatures on our Petition to honor Dorothea Dix Legacy
Jan 23, 2015 — I wanted all of the petition's supporters to know I plan to send a copy of the petition and a file with all signatures to Rep. David Price- (D-NC4) and to Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC2) this weekend.
To help us make the most impact with the petition, I ask you to think of anyone to whom you have not yet shared the link to the petition. Share the petition as widely as possible with mental health advocates and with advocates for historic preservation.
Thank you.
Martha Brock
Cary, NC
Mon Jan 26, 2015 at 3:55 PM PT: The petition on Change.org (see link above) now has over 400 signatures and 100s of comments. We need just 97 more to reach our goal. Please click through and at the petition site, scroll way down to find where to sign. Thanks.
Fri Jan 30, 2015 at 5:47 AM PT: 409 signatures to date.. Not getting any new ones this week, and I don't know why. A link has been shared in a couple of widely.distributed newsletters in NC.
Anyway, I went ahead and sent the petition to NCUS Representatives David Price of Durham and Renee Ellmers of Dunn Tuesday. It was also submitted online to the White House and the Dept. of Interior. I will be calling those offices to follow up on the petition today.