In 1987, Congress officially designated the month of March as Women’s History Month. Since then, this time of year has become a 31 day tribute to the contributions and unique past of women in society. In honor of the meaning behind this month, numerous departments and organizations throughout Kean have organized events to celebrate and inform students about the various facets of women’s history.
The first event of the month will be the Women and Gender Studies Program’s annual lecture given by Dr. Christine Thorpe, the dean of Nathan Weiss Graduate College. Taking place March 1 at 12:30 p.m. in Hennings Hall, Room 113, the lecture will cover the topic of chronic health issues in both African American and Native American women.
Iota Phi Theta will be hosting its event, “Flower Her Beauty", March 7 at 3:30 p.m. The brothers of the organization will be tabling in the Miron Student Center (MSC) Atrium, while passing out free flowers to women in order to demonstrate their appreciation and affection for the qualities and skills they bring to the world.
The next event will be the Women’s History Month Kickoff, organized and hosted by the Student Organization. On March 4 at 3 p.m. on the MSC Patio, the kickoff will provide an introduction to this year’s theme for Women’s History Month, which is “The Visionary Women: Champions of Peace and Non-Violence.”
International Women’s Day will be celebrated March 8 by the Center for Leadership and Service (CLS). Representatives from the department will be tabling on the first floor of the Center for Academic Success (CAS). This tabling will display biographical information about an assortment of important women throughout history, and those in attendance will also be able to make their own suggestions and displays in order to feature other women they wish to recognize.
The Women and Gender Studies Program, along with the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and the College of Liberal Arts, will be hosting a second lecture March 20 at 2 p.m. in MSC, Room 226. This lecture, titled “Joan of Arc: History and Legend,” will be given by Dr. Christopher Bellitto, a history professor at Kean.
Finally, the event, “HERstory Trivia,” will be taking place March 26 at noon in the Commuter Resource Center (CRC), located in Hutchinson Hall, Room 130. This event will test attendees on their knowledge of famous women in history, award prizes and allow students to create cards for women in their lives who have had an important impact on them.
For more information on any of these events or the organization hosting them, be sure to check out their individual pages on Cougar Link. Students can also explore different ways to engage with Kean’s celebration of Women’s History Month by visiting the Involvement Center in MSC, Room 303.
