Celebrate Women’s History Month with Events Across Campus

In celebration of the 39th Women’s History Month, The University of Alabama is hosting events exploring the cultural, educational and societal impact of women.

“It’s important to celebrate Women’s History Month because it’s a marginalized history,” said Elizabeth Lester, program coordinator with the Women and Gender Resource Center. “When we don’t know who created something, it was likely a woman. Women’s contributions to society have been sidelined, particularly Black and indigenous women.

“We have to lift up women’s voices and celebrating Women’s History Month is just a small part of that.”

The keynote event will be a virtual speech from Dr. Wendy Greene, titled “I Am Not My Hair,” and hosted by the Intercultural Diversity Center on March 11 at 6 p.m.

Green is a professor at Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law. She is a trailblazing anti-discrimination law scholar and advocate who has devoted her professional life to advancing racial and gender equity in workplaces and beyond.

Her speech will address the CROWN Act, how race and identity constructions constrain anti-discrimination law and provide helpful suggestions on how to minimize misperceptions on grooming codes and workplace discrimination. Registration is required.

Women’s History Month Program Highlights

From March 1-31, the UA’s Women and Gender Resource Center and “October 26,” an organization dedicated to providing equitable access to menstrual products, will host a menstrual product drive. Donations can be dropped off at various locations on campus.

Also on March 1-31, the Intercultural Diversity Center will feature an exhibit, “International Women’s Air & Space Museum Bessie Coleman & ‘Her Daughters.” Coleman was the first Black woman to receive her pilot’s license and inspired generations of Black women pilots and astronauts.

On March 8, which is International Women’s Day, a screening of the Kenyan film, “Rafiki,” will be hosted by the Women and Gender Resource Center in partnership with the Capstone International Center. The film depicts the romance of two Kenyan women amidst family and political pressures.

The screening will be from 5-7 p.m. Registration is required.

Also on March 8, the Intercultural Diversity Center will give a PowerPoint presentation on prominent women, facts and historical events surrounding women from 12-2 p.m. at the center, which is located in room #2100 in the Ferguson Student Center.

On March 12 at 7 p.m., the Interculture Diversity Center will host a screening of “RBG,” a film about the legacy of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Registration is required.

On March 16, the Women and Gender Resource Center Student Leadership Council will host the “Unequal Bake Sale for Pay Equity,” to raise awareness about pay inequity. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside of Starbucks in the Ferguson Center Plaza.

A “Women’s History Trivia Night,” will be held on March 18 from 6-8 p.m. at the Intercultural Diversity Center. Free pizza and drink will be provided. Registration is required.

Also on March 18, the Intercultural Diversity Center, in partnership with Comcast and National Geographic, will provide a virtual pre-screening of the new season of the Emmy-nominated show, “Genius,” which focuses on the life of Aretha Franklin. The screening begins at 6 p.m. Registration is required.

On March 23, the Women and Gender Resource Center will facilitate the AAUW Start Smart workshop from 4-6 p.m. Start Smart workshops are specifically designed for college students entering the job market and teach them how to combat the gender wage gap. Registration is required.

On March 25, the Intercultural Diversity Center will present a PowerPoint presentation, “National Medal of Honor Day: Celebrating Dr. Mary Walker.” Walker, a woman who helped change the face of medicine during the Civil War, is the only female recipient of the Medal of Honor. The presentation will be held at the center from 12-2 p.m.

The Intercultural Diversity Center will host a cooking demonstration by Kelly Viall, a chef out of Birmingham, on March 30. Viall will prepare jambalaya and discuss the importance of women chefs in the industry. The demonstration will be at 6 p.m. Registration is required.

UA’s celebration of Women’s History Month concludes with the Lunafest Film Festival on March 31. Lunafest is a traveling film festival consisting of stories made for, by and about women. The Women and Gender Resource Center hosts this event annually to raise funds for programming and counseling/advocacy services, which are free and confidential to UA students, staff and faculty. If you are interested in viewing this year’s lineup of films, contact Jessica Kimbrough at jlkimbrough2@ua.edu or 205-348-5040.

Read more stories about Women’s History Month at The University of Alabama.