"Our history is our strength."
This saying is the foundation of the National Women’s History Project (NWHP), the organization that spearheads Women’s History Month each year. For 2018, celebrants are encouraged to highlight and honor women who fight all forms of discrimination against women, building on this year’s theme, Nevertheless She Persisted.
According to the NWHP, “The 2018 National Women’s History theme presents the opportunity to honor women who have shaped America’s history and its future through their tireless commitment to ending discrimination against women and girls. The theme embodies women working together with strength, tenacity and courage to overcome obstacles and achieve joyful accomplishments.”
There are a number of events happening in and around the UNM campus during Women’s History Month. Several of these celebrations are brought to you by the UNM Women’s Resource Center (WRC):
Women’s HERstory Jeopardy
March 8 – 5:30 p.m., WRC
Test your knowledge on powerful women in history while sipping mocktails
WRC Open House
March 19 – 3 p.m., WRC
Enjoy cupcakes while learning about the Women’s Resource Center
Midwifery Q&A
March 21 – 12 p.m., WRC
Learn about midwifery as a career
“Chisholm ’72” Film Screening
March 22 – 3 p.m., WRC
Watch the documentary film about the first black woman to run for president
Women in Music Videos Screening
March 28 – 4 p.m., WRC
Snacks and empowering music videos
Women’s History Month Panel
March 29 – 5 p.m., SUB Ballroom C
Hear from women leaders who got their start at UNM
The UNM Bookstore is hosting a signing and discussion with Karen R. Roybal, author of the book “Archives of Dispossession: Recovering the Testimonies of Mexican American Herederas 1948-1960.” Published by UNC Press, “Archives of Dispossession” focuses on “voices of Mexican American women in the Southwest to show how they fought against the erasure of their rights, both as women and as landowners.”
“Archives of Dispossession” Book Discussion and Signing
Tuesday, March 20 – 12 p.m., UNM Bookstore
Visit the UNM Libraries Omeka site for a digital exhibit and interactive content exploring women's history in the Land of Enchantment. And Yet She Persisted: Documenting Women's Lives in New Mexico is “an enduring digital humanities project that will continue to grow over time. The first phase of the project explores structures governing women, attitudes towards women, and women's academic achievements at UNM.”
And Yet She Persisted: Documenting Women's Lives in New Mexico
Digital exhibit – Ongoing
Take a cue from the Black Futures Month movement and celebrate Women’s Futures alongside Women’s History. So many women in the here and now are paving the way for themselves and future generations through hard work, art, humor and gumption.
Catch some Lobo Women’s Tennis, visit the Tamarind Institute for a talk with artist Linn Meyers, stop by the African American Student Services (AASS) Lounge for Brownies and Girl Talk on March 19, or take in a free comedy show! On Thursday, March 22 at 7 p.m., Student Special Events will host stand-up comedian Beth Stelling in SUB Ballroom B. Admission is free! Visit the UNM Events Calendar for more information.
The NWHP reminds us that “Recognizing the achievements of women in all facets of life – science, community, government, literature, art, sports, medicine – has a huge impact on the development of self-respect and new opportunities for girls and young women.” This March and beyond, celebrate the women who inspire us every day.