March is Women’s History Month, and to celebrate, the Darwin T. Turner Scholars program hosted an event to honor not only women but also women of color.
History Behind Women’s History Month:
At first, women’s history commemoration began as just a week-long event coordinated by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in 1978. They had selected the week of March 8th to correspond with International Women’s Day; when the movement spread across the country as other communities created their own women’s history weeks the following year. In 1980, an association of women’s groups and historians lobbied for national recognition of this week and were successful. Leading to February of 1980 where President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring National Women’s History Week for that year. The following presidents followed Carter’s path and continued to proclaim the week of March 8th as Women’s History Week until 1987. At that time, Congress passed a law designating March as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamation designating March as Women’s History Month.
The Darwin T. Turner Scholars Program was established in 1976 to honor Darwin T. Turner, an African American student who was the youngest person to graduate from the University of Cincinnati at the age of 16. While the program started as a scholarship and program for the Black population at UC, it has since been opened up to everyone applying. The Turner Scholars Program pays for 8 semesters of a student’s tuition, as well as student fees.
I had the opportunity to meet with Tammy, one of the ambassadors for the Turner program, who gave me more insight into the program. The Turner program is mainly about support for students and community. They help students through college with finances, confidence, professionalism, mental and emotional wellbeing and overall encouragement. While the Turner Scholars program is something that incoming freshmen have to apply to in order to be a part of it, there are other ways for students not in the program to get involved with the Turner program. Enrolled students can initiate and participate in club collaborations with Turner Scholars as well as events. One of the issues with the Turner Program from my chat with Tammy was that students don’t really know about it since it is something you have to be on top of going into college applications; and once at UC, students that don’t hang around the Steger Student Life Center also aren’t aware of the whole Turner lounge where any student can go and hang out with other students. Another difficulty the Turner Program is facing, is the lack of participation from their students. While chatting with Tammy, she mentioned that freshmen usually do come to events and meetings, but they can quickly get overwhelmed with classes and the adjustment to college.
Some of the students favorite parts of the Turner Scholars program include the events they host, such as game nights, field days, karaoke, arts and crafts, cultural events with occasional food and candy tastings, as well as the Turner Olympics.
The Women’s History Month event was attended and sponsored by a few women-run orgs on campus, as well as some women’s businesses in the Cincinnati area.
It’s On Us
It’s On Us is an on-campus organization at UC, connected to a national branch established in 2024. The group focuses on raising awareness about sexual and gender-based violence through community initiatives. The group has hosted events such as tote bag painting, picnics, and self-defense training. They also host informational sessions that educate attendees on issues such as bystander intervention and the keys to consent. By using fun events and serious informational sessions, It’s On Us has created a safe environment for students to learn about violence on college campuses.
Sisters Impacting Sisters
Sisters Impacting Sisters (SIS) is a support organization that provides African American students with a safe space for open dialogue. The goal is to help students build relationships with one another, develop personally and professionally, and learn to engage in collaborative dialogue.
Sisters for Health & Empowerment
Sisters for Health & Empowerment (SHE) is a student organization on campus that is dedicated to advancing the reproductive health, rights and wellness of African American women at UC. Their mission is to provide a safe, supportive space where Black women can openly discuss issues surrounding reproductive health.
Women’s City Club
The Women’s City Club of Cincinnati works “to educate, empower, and engage the citizens of Greater Cincinnati to act together to promote the common good,” according to their website. The group includes a variety of women who come together to promote values such as civic literacy, support for children, and equality within the community. Programming is one of the group’s main initiatives, with forums and casual events being hosted throughout the year. Beyond that, the group endorses certain amendments and city initiatives to influence the community’s policy landscape.
Sweet Jazz Treats by Jasmine Davis
Sweet Jazz Treats is a Black-owned small business that specializes in creating baked goods such as cakes, brownies, pies, and more. The CEO of the business, Jasmine Davis, worked in healthcare until she pivoted to baking, which had been her outlet. Now, Sweet Jazz Treats has been operating for over five years, allowing Davis to show her creativity through her baked goods.
De’Tailed by De’Myah Unique
De’Tailed by De’Myah Unique is a black owned small business that specializes in empowering women with digital planners and tools to balance life and live on purpose. Not only equipping women with digital tools to do it all, but also an accountability club to help women actually get things checked off their to do list! The Getter Done Club helps it’s members with healthy productivity and gives them a community to help with accountability and empowerment through crazy times.