Nominations Now Open for Mercy Otis Warren “Cape Cod Woman of the Year” Award 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honor a Cape Cod Woman Leader with a Nomination for the Mercy Otis Warren “Cape Cod Woman of the Year” Award
March 7, 2023 (Barnstable, MA) â The Mercy Otis Warren Cape Cod Woman of the Year Award Committee is pleased to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the 23rd annual award for a woman on Cape Cod who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the community on Cape Cod.
Every year, an outstanding Cape Cod woman is recognized for her exemplary leadership and embodying the legacy of Mercy Otis Warren. The award honors those who have made notable contributions to the arts, business, education, and community service through volunteerism.
Nominations should endeavor to include as much multifaceted information about the nominees as possible.
This year the award ceremony will take place on Flag Day, Tuesday, June 14, 2023, at the 1717 Meetinghouse in West Barnstable located at 2049 Meetinghouse Way.
The Cape 2023 Woman of the Year will be presented with a statuette of Mercy Otis Warren by local, celebrated sculptor David Lewis, as have all past recipients since the inception of the annual event in 2002.
Nominations can be submitted online at https://www.capecod.gov/MOWaward until 11:59 PM on Patriotsâ Day, Monday, April 17, 2023.
Details about the recognition, its history, and its generous, local sponsors are available online at https://www.capecod.gov/MOWaward and may be emailed to the Selection Committee at mercyotiswarrencapecod@gmail.com.
ABOUT THE MERCY OTIS WARREN WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD: The Award was first awarded to historian Marion Vuilleumier in 2002. Past recipients include 2002 Marion R. Vuilleumier | 2003 Jean D. Gardner | 2004 Eugenia Fortes | 2005 Felicia R. Penn | 2006 Bonnie M. Snow | 2007 Lynne M. Poyant | 2008 Josephine P. Ives | 2009 Mary L. LeClair | 2010 Gloria W. Rudman | 2011 Susan A. French | 2012 Judy Walden Scarafile | 2013 Dorothy A. Savarese | 2014 Mary Lou Petitt | 2015 Michelle L. DeSilva | 2016 Ann M. Williams | 2017 Dolores Holden Daluz | 2018 Nancy Viall Shoemaker | 2019 Juliet Bernstein | 2020 Mimi McConnell | 2021 Wendy Northcross | 2022 Angelina Chilaka
ABOUT MERCY OTIS WARREN: Mercy Otis Warren was born in the village of West Barnstable in 1728. Mercy was the third of thirteen children and first daughter born to James and Mary Allyne Otis. While her older brother James (âThe Patriotâ) was recognized as one of the Sons of Liberty in the 1760s, Mercy Otis Warren has been called âThe First Lady of the American Revolutionâ.
In an era when it was unusual for women to obtain any schooling beyond reading and writing, Mercyâs father Judge James Otis, Sr. allowed her to study with the West Parish Reverend Jonathan Russell while he tutored her brothers in preparation for Harvard College.
When Mercy Otis Warren married James Warren in 1754, she became increasingly active in his political life and their home became the focal point of local politics. Encouraged by her husband who fondly called her âThe Scribblerâ, Mercy published poems, plays, and pamphlets that challenged British royal authority and urged colonial resistance. Later, during the debate over the United States Constitution, she advocated for the inclusion of a Bill of Rights. Mercy also emphasized the importance of women in politics and society.
Mercy Otis Warren is still recognized as one of the most influential women in history. In 1943, a Liberty Ship SS Mercy Warren was launched in her honor, and on October 5, 2002, she was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. Mercy Otis Warren was more than a woman ahead of her time, she was a beacon of light that would have illuminated any era.
