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International Women's Day annually celebrates the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women on March 8. Also, the United States commemorates all of March as Women's History Month. This month is a reminder that the many contributions women have made, and are making, to society too often go without recognition. Through reflection, and by taking action, the Brandman community has an opportunity to be even more inclusive and purposeful about using higher education as a powerful tool to help build a more equitable society.
Brandman’s courses and services are more powerful when they are informed by matters relating to women’s history and current perspectives.This is why Dr. Jalin B. Johnson,Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion, is encouraging faculty and staff to broaden their intellectual horizons this month. Following up on the Office of Equity and Inclusion’s work to compile a list of resources for inquiries inspired by Black History Month, Johnson is now recommending several websites hosting information and virtual events illuminating women's history and needs.
“Poet, author and civil rights leader, Dr. Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014) said, ‘I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being,’” Johnson said. “This month, as we highlight HERstories from around the world, we can each reflect upon women who have taught us life lessons and modeled the characteristics of what it means to be phenomenal.”
Resources:
- Today, March 8, is International Women's Day. Information on virtual events and this year's “Choose to Challenge” theme are available from InternationalWomensDay.com.
- Washington, D.C. museums' Women's History Month portal includes a link to the National Museum of American History exhibition, “Girlhood (It's complicated),” as well as several virtual events scheduled over the course of March. The portal also connects to events schedules for the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and other institutions.
- The National Women's History Museum has a dedicated website for Women's History Month.
- Readers interested in voting rights can access this article from PBS Teachers’ Lounge, “Unlearning History: The Women's Suffrage Movement.”
- The Women's Institute for Science, Equity and Race suggests five documentaries and two books dealing with subjects including biographical accounts of notable women, as well as women's lives as viewed from the perspectives of African American and Chinese culture.
“Lifelong learning is something that can happen every day, whether someone is a student taking a class or a curious individual who wants to learn more about our world,” Chancellor Gary Brahm said. “I'm thankful to Vice Chancellor Johnson for her work to gather this information, and I encourage everyone to take time to discover something new about women's history.”
The Office of Equity and Inclusion is also asking faculty and staff to share accounts of women who have contributed to their communities through acts of selflessness. Those stories may be delivered via email to OEI@brandman.edu.
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