Throughout the month of March, we highlight Women's History Month. Organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978, Women's History Month was created to reshape American patriarchal history that largely neglected women's achievements. As we recognize Women's History Month, try to learn more about pioneering women, explore unfamiliar women like public health advocate, Annie Dodge Wauneka who was the first Native American to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Nobel Prize recipient Gertrude Elion, pharmacologist and biochemist, who invented an immunosuppressive drug key to organ transplants.
As we celebrate this year's national theme, "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” we honor the frontline workers and caregivers who have devoted so much of themselves to care for others during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also pay tribute to women throughout history who have made impactful strides in the pursuit of healing, hope, and equality for all. Women have long been leaders in the fight for human rights and have been influencers for significant change. From Abigail Adams’ 1776 plea to her husband John Adams and the Continental Congress to ‘not forget about women’ in their fight for America’s independence, to Kamala Harris elected as the first female to hold the position of Vice President of the United States, women continue to move toward a more equitable future.
Let us continue to be mindful of the importance of our own self-work (educating oneself). Questioning conventional paradigms and disrupting the social norms that define women as inferior; this includes, discrimination, disregard, control, oppression, exploitation, and violence of women.
Take Action:
- The Center for Women's and Gender Equity (CWGE) has a lineup of Women's History Month events
- Read Dr. Ather Zia's book - "Resisting Disappearance: Military Occupation and Women's Activism in Kashmir
- UNC Galleries: Women Artists Exhibition March 4 – April 8; Opening Reception Friday, March 4, 6-9pm
- 7 Podcasts to listen to during Women’s History Month
- Register to learn more about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in A Look Inside Bring Her Home: A Virtual Panel Discussion
- Eventbrite: All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake
- Eventbrite: Women’s History, Present and Future: A Talk with Emily Chang
- Explore The Museum for Black Girls
- Attach the Women’s History Month design elements to your email signature and/or use it in your social media
For additional education and personal development related to diversity, equity and inclusion, the following resources are available: DEI Education and Resources, DEI & Antiracism Resources from the UNC Libraries, the Education Equity Toolkit from the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and the UNITE workshops for faculty, staff, and students.
