March 1st marks the beginning of Women’s History Month. Throughout Women’s History Month, individuals are encouraged to celebrate, acknowledge, and reminisce upon the impactful role of women in America history. A different theme is selected annually in order to highlight a particular group of women.
Declared by the National Women’s History Alliance, the month’s theme for 2019 is “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence.” The National Women’s History Alliance encourages individuals to recognize women who strived to end war, violence, and injustice and introduced the inclusion of nonviolent activities to change society.
Photo courtesy of National Women’s History Alliance
Originally, Women’s History Month was a weeklong celebration, previously called Women’s History Week. In 1987, the commencement week was expanded to a month. Women’s History Month had been decided to occur during March to correspond with International Women’s Day, which was celebrated annually for seventy-three years before.
According to WomensHistoryMonth.gov, “since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as ‘Women’s History Month.”
In previous years, WomensHistory.org tells that past United States presidents have highlighted specific women who have significantly impacted American history. Formerly selected women include Amelia Earhart, the first women pilot to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, and Rachel Carson, a marine biologist whose discoveries progressed science surrounding environmental issues.
Photo courtesy of TIME
To celebrate Women’s History Month, the University of South Florida’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and campus partners are scheduled to host educational and engaging events throughout March. This year, USF is adopting the term “womxn” and implementing it throughout its celebrations.
According to USF.edu, “Womxn is a more inclusive term. . .designed to be more inclusive of people that identify within the gender of women and represents gender fluidity and inclusivity. The ‘x’ allows space for individuals who identify as genderfluid, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, or non-binary.”
Photo courtesy of USF.edu
There are seven registered events for USF’s Women’s History Month celebration.
On March first, the Office of Multicultural Affairs hosted the Women’s History Month Kick-Off. On March sixth, the Caribbean Cultural Exchange introduces A Day in the Life of H.E.R., and the Disaster and Humanitarian Relief Student Collaborative (DAHR-SC) presents International Women’s Day: The Fight for Rights. Unpacking Peripheral Silence: Women and Mental Health, by Bull Service Breaks, I Was Born to Flex: Money, Community, & Friendship Among Womyn of Color, by Housing and Residential Education, and Remarkable Women in Stem: “Hidden Figures” the Movie, by Women in Computer Science & Engineering, take place on March 21st.
To conclude the commencement month, the Dominican American Student Association is holding Bachata Night on March twenty-sixth. Additional information for each event is available on the USF website.
Photo courtesy of USF.edu