"Comfort Women" Column of Strength, Bronze memorial statue in Saint Mary's Square, San Francisco, United States.
The Column of Strength is a bronze memorial in Saint Mary's Square in San Francisco that features three women figures alongside an elderly woman. The sculpture stands at the boundary between Chinatown and the Financial District, making it visible to daily foot traffic.
The memorial commemorates a dark chapter during World War II when over 400,000 women from eleven Asian countries were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army. It was installed in 2017 and has since sparked important conversations about these overlooked survivors.
The memorial depicts women from different Asian backgrounds whose stories were long overlooked by history. Today, it serves as a gathering place where visitors encounter these accounts and reflect on their importance.
The memorial is freely accessible at any time and located in a central spot with regular foot traffic. Take time to read the informational plaques that provide context about the figures and their stories.
The installation of this memorial caused San Francisco to end its sister-city partnership with Osaka in 2017 after protests from Japanese officials. This outcome demonstrates how the issue remains contentious today and why honoring these accounts carries global significance.
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